Days Of The Apprentice
by Aaron Truthtaker
Summary: Just after Phoenix's graduation, an unexpected visitor came to pick him up at Ivy. She remembered how he wanted to be a lawyer and decided to take him under her wing...Phoenix x Mia...CH.9 is up.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN PHOENIX WRIGHT.**

The story takes place after Phoenix had just graduated from Ivy University. He's now one step closer to helping his best friend. But right now he needs to undergo serious training before he can become a real defense attorney. Not Phoenix x Mia YET….until later chapters....

Also, This is my first time writing a fanfiction so please review. Give me suggestions and comments on how I should improve.

* * *

The day had finally come. He had just received his diploma. After the graduation ceremony he decided to spend his last day at Ivy with his 2 friends.

"It's finally over, what are you going to now Nick?", asked Thomas.

"Hmm, I haven't thought about that yet. Maybe I should start looking for a job, and…",but was interrupted by Greg before he could finish.

"Relaaaax. There's no hurry. You can get a job later. Enjoy life. Get a girl"

"Waaaaahhh",cried Phoenix.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You haven't been dating anyone since Dahlia tried to poi…"

"Shut up, Greg!" yelled Thomas. "You know how emotional Nick is when we talk about this." Then he turns to phoenix "...but seriously, Nick. Try to stop thinking about her too much"

Phoenix sighed and thought back about his days with his Dollie. All those six months dating with her. He could taste the mini-omelets she made for him. The sweater she knitted by hand was their symbol of…..…….

"I SAID STOP THINKING ABOUT HER"

After that long conversation they left the cafeteria and were walking out the gate….. when suddenly, a black car stopped in front of them. A mysterious woman in a black suit stepped out of the car. Her beautiful long hair and her seductive body was enough to stop a man in his tracks.

"I see you've finally graduated. Congratulations, Mr. Wright" she said, taking off her shades, revealing her gorgeous eyes.

His two friends couldn't help but stare at her beauty. "How come you never told us about your lovely acquaintance, Nick?" asked Greg.

"Please, It's not like that guys! She was my defense attorney in Doug's murder case"

"Mia Fey, Ace Attorney, at your service." She answered.

"Long time no see, Miss Fey. What are you doing here anyway?"

"You said you wanted to become an attorney after you graduate, right?"

It was something he told her long ago. She remembered it well, but the fact that she would just go pick him up like this was unexpected for Phoenix.

"Well yeah, but……don't you think I should take a few days break first? I mean I've just grad….."

"No time to explain. Get in the car! NOW!" She just grabbed him by the shirt and threw him into the back seat. She drove off and left the two friends in confusion. Mean while in the car…..

"Ow! My head." complained Phoenix. "W-Why did you do that, Miss. Fey?"

"I have a case to get to in 30 minutes."

"But then couldn't you have just picked me up after the trial?"

"I have no idea where you live Mr. Wright", she answered, "I have no other way of reaching you at such short notice."

Mia stopped the car in front of the court house. She dragged him to the defense lobby where Mr. Grossberg was waiting anxiously.

"AHHEM! You're late, my dear"

"Sorry sir, I had to go pick up an old client. Would you look after him for me?" She said before rushing in to the courtroom.

"Oh! It's you, Mah Boi. How've you been?"

"Great, sir! I haven't seen you since my girlfriend Dollie got convicted. I've just graduated and now I'm looking for a job. Did Ms. Fey bring me here so you can hire me?". He was really enthusiastic about getting this job.

"Why, of course not, Mah boi" he said "I only came here because she asked me to be of assistance."

He lowered his head "By the way, please don't talk about Ms Hawthorne while I'm here. I don't want to act as a punching bag again. Do a guy a favor would you?"

They waited a couple of hours, doing nothing………. After the long trial, she finally came out, victorious as ever.

"Phew. I thought he'd never give up. That Winston can be such a pain in the neck." She then turned to Phoenix. "Come on, Mr. Wright. We've got lots to do."

She dragged him back to the car and drove to the office.

"Here we are. Fey & Co Law Offices. Please have a seat"

Phoenix had never been to a lawyer's office before. It was full of books and case files neatly organized. Her working desk was in front of the second book shelf from the window. There were many decorative plants and portraits which look expensive and luxurious. He sat down on the sofa next to the door.

"So this is how a lawyer's office looks like"

"As you can see, lawyers have to spend a lot of time reading books and files about their clients in order to have enough information to represent in court. We also have to look at evidence and try to make to find out about what happened in that certain incident." Mia explained.

"Alright, Miss Fey! When do I get started?" He was so pumped and sounded ready for anything.

Mia Chuckled "I like your enthusiasm, but you can't start working yet. First, we have to get you trained to build up your skills." Then her expression became stern. "I'll warn you that it's not gonna be easy. I'll expect your full attention and concentration. You must do everything I tell you to. Do you think you are ready for this, Mr. Wright?"

He was a bit nervous after hearing those words, but it didn't matter to him. He was determined to help his friend no matter what. He had to become a lawyer and that's what he's gonna do.

"I'm ready. Miss Fey", he said boldly without thinking.

"That's the spirit!", she says in satisfaction. "We begin our training tomorrow. I'll expect you to be at my office every weekday from 8 am to 10 pm. From now on you'll address me as Chief and I'll just call you by Phoenix."

"Yes Miss Fe…err…I mean Chief"

It looked as if Phoenix was willing to do anything for her by now. However, there was still something about him that was irritating her. It was right there in her face, that stupid love heart on that pink sweater he's wearing. This was also her opportunity to test how loyal he was.

"Phoenix, before we start….there's one thing I need you to do for me." She said with a slight smirk on her face.

"Yes, Chief?"

"I want you…… to take off your sweater"

"W-W-WHAAAA?", he said in shock.

She raised her voiced. "You heard me, Phoenix! Take off your sweater! NOW!!"

Phoenix couldn't believe what he just heard. It was his first day at the office and she already wanted his cloths off? He didn't want to…. but because he noticed she was holding a kendo stick ready to swing at any moment, he had to obey.

"Okay! Okay! I'll take it off, chief" He took off his favorite sweater that was hand knitted by his ex-girlfriend whom he still loves.

"Now give that to me" She struck the sofa threatening him.

Scared Phoenix didn't want to lose his precious symbol of love. "B-But, this sweater is all I have left of my dear sweet Dollie"

Irritated, Mia DID strike him this time. "With that attitude you'll never become a good lawyer. It's one of the tings that will distract you in your training! Besides, she's a serial killer! She never loved you and she never will!" She struck him again until he finally gave her the sweater.

"Now then, I'll lock this up so you'll never wear this again" she put the sweater in an empty suitcase and threw away the key.

Deprived of the thing to remember his love, poor Feenie was about to cry again….

"My Dollie…..My precious DOLLIE" he began to cry.

Mia sighed "Seriously. You need to grow up. I thought all those years you've already forgotten about her."

He wiped away his tears before replying.

"I'm sorry, chief. I just have a feeling that the real Dollie I dated is still out there somewhere."

Silence filled the atmosphere for a brief moment. Mia said nothing back to him. Phoenix staring at the ground was still half naked. "ACHOO! ACHOO! ACHOO!" and now he has a cold……again.

"Here. Put this on." Mia handed him the white shirt hanging on by the front door. "You should go home and get some rest for tomorrow's training"

"R-Right, chief" He quickly put on the white shirt and walked out the door.

"Oh Phoenix", Mia called.

"Yes, Chief?"

"If you say anything lovey dovey about Dahlia again…" She hit and broke the mannequin next to the working desk "I'll strike you hard and without warning"

"Gulp" He smiled sheepishly and ran out the door quickly.

Today had been really tiring for her. She attended court and accepted a new apprentice who's kinda immature at the moment. She just dropped on the sofa and face-palmed.

_'This is gonna be harder than I thought'_ Mia thought to herself_ '…but I believe that one day you'll get a chance to save your friend in court.'_

* * *

…..To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

Days Of The Apprentice Chapter 2.

How did my first chapter go? Ok? Not Ok? I'll try my best...... Do you think the story goes too fast? Please tell me.

* * *

Since we last left off, Phoenix had just taken a serious beating at Mia's office. She wasn't too pleased about his attachment to her arch foe, Dahlia Hawthorne. His only memory of her was now locked away in a box, which would never be opened again. It's time that he needs to start acting like a man, but due to his childhood trauma (Being falsely accused of stealing the money).......... Will he ever be able to recover from that and mature?

Phoenix arrived home late that night….tired, hungry, and hurt. He went to the kitchen and made himself a sandwich. When he got to his bed he just collapsed.

"Ow…….It hurts so bad…" He whined.

The pain from those kendo strikes was so agonizing for him. He couldn't move another muscle after what happened…...

As fell to his deep slumber, he began to dream about Dahlia.

…

"_Feenie? Wake up, Feenie. " she smiled sweetly._

_He opened his eyes to see Dahlia, sitting next to him under the shade of a cherry blossom tree ….in a beautiful meadow, with flowers and butterflies everywhere .........such a beautiful landscape.  
_

_Phoenix didn't know what's going on .... "Where are we, Dollie?"_

_She giggled. "Just look at sight before you. It's looks so wonderful. Don't you think so too, Feenie?"  
_

"_Yes. It feels like I'm in heaven, especially when I'm with you, Dollie." Such a cheesy line._

"_Oh Feenie....you always say the nicest things" she blushed…._

_They spent their quality time together enjoying nature. Two white doves flew by...... one carrying a mistletoe in it's beak. The couple was about to kiss as the birds landed on the branch..... all seemed perfect....._

_....  
_

_But then suddenly, the sky turned black. All the butterflies in the field burned, starting a tremendous a wild fire. An earth quake caused the ground between them to separate…_

"AAAAAHH_!!!" screamed Dahlia as she fell in to the bottomless pit. "Help me, Feenie"_

_Phoenix tried to grab her arm but he couldn't reach her. _

_"Dollie. NOOOOOOOOOOO…"_

*Beep Beep*

...

……End of Dream.

"DOLLIE!!!" He panicky shouted before he realized it was only a nightmare.

"Oh, It was just a dream?" He said in a sad tone.

He turned and looked at the alarm clock next to his bed. It was already 7:30

"CRAP! I'm gonna be late!" He sprang out of the bed and rushed down stairs to get his toast. No time to freshen up or dress properly because Mia's Office was at least half an hour away.

'Who knows what she'll do to me if I don't get there on time' he thought.

He grabbed his bike and rode off. The morning rush filled the sidewalk with pedestrians, obstructing Phoenix in his path.

Mean while….

At the Office, Mia was staring at her watch, expecting Phoenix to get here at exactly 8:00 am, She would not tolerate even a second late!

"7:59:01…..7:59:02….7:59:03…." She watched impatiently as the clock handle kept ticking.

"Almost there….ALMOST THERE!" his heart raced faster as his time was running out. He was in such a hurry, crashed his bike into pole next to the building.

Wasting no time, he ran up the building as fast as he could. 'Please, let me be on time'

...7:59:58

..7:59:59

"HOLD IT!"

As the handle was reaching the final second, the door opened. He yelled at exactly 8 am......zero seconds (that lucky brat)

"Good. You managed to get here on time"

Relieved, Phoenix looked up at the clock on the wall and just fell on the floor.

She looked down at him "You didn't change your cloths since last night?"

"Sorry Chief. I was so tired I just collapsed when I got home yesterday."

"Since you were so punctual today, I'm gonna let you off just this once.", she told him "Training will commence in exactly 15 minutes"

"Umm….right, Chief" ,said phoenix, still faced flat on the floor. "Can I have some water?"

Just because he arrived on time, didn't mean his day was gonna be easier….he knew that it was gonna be harsh, and that his mentor was ready to strike at his slightest mistake.

....15 minutes later

Phoenix, so pumped and ready to train, sat down on the floor near the small table in the office. The number of books before him stacked up high above his head. They were mostly about law, something phoenix had already studied, but this was the advanced stuff that he didn't learn. He did major Arts of course.

She gave him a short briefing…..

"Phoenix. Let's get to work. I'll tell you right away that the bar exam will be difficult. Only the best of the best can pass, so you'll have to work hard and study all the material that I assign you"

"Yes, Chief!"

"Good! Now for your first assignment, I want you to read this chapter in 20 minutes. I'll ask you some questions, and if you get them wrong or can't answer them at all, I'll strike you and you start that part over!!"

"Yes, Chief!" ….."Yeowch!"

She struck him for a good warning.

"And remember, I don't ever want to see you slacking off! If I see you sleeping on the job or just wondering off, you'll face the wrath of my trusty kendo stick."

She obviously wasn't going easy on his first training session. Oh yeah this was gonna be hell for him. No other lawyer has ever faced this kind of treatment. I don't even think Edgeworth had gone through this much pain while training with Von Karma……

…..but then again, this is Feenie the crybaby we're talking about.

"Times up …Now answer me! What is Double Jeopardy?" She ordered!

"It's the act of putting a person through a second trial for an offense for which he or she has already been prosecuted or convicted!!"

"CORRECT! Second question!...." She continued to ask him.

Fortunately for Phoenix, this wasn't a hard chapter, though he was a bit slow to answer them due to the pressure.

"Good! You've managed to answer all my questions correctly." She seemed a bit satisfied.

"…but that was just your first chapter. We still have lots to cover and time is of the essence!"

...

She continued this hard treatment for 4 long hours. Phoenix got beaten a few times, but at least he didn't do too badly for his first session.

....

"Man…… I'm beat." Said Phoenix "I never thought it was gonna be that intense" He sat down on the couch, leaning his head back to rest for a bit.

"Let's have lunch, Phoenix! I'll make us some instant ramen." She offered.

"Yay! Ramen!" He jumped up and down like a little kid.

She poured some hot water into the bowls. Instant ramen was the only thing they had for a quick and cheap meal. They both sat down at the couch and enjoyed their noodles. After lunch, they had some free time before the continued training session from 1 am till 6 pm.

Mia decided to have a little chat with her new apprentice....In order for them to work together better, they have to know more about each other.

"So, Phoenix." She started "Why did you major in Arts if you wanted to become an attorney?"

"We'll, Chief....I wasn't too serious about becoming one until after Doug's murder case" He replied "I mean I did wanted to repay my friend for helping me, but I figured that it would be too difficult for me"

"So you decided to give up, just like that?" She glared at him.

"N-N-No, Of course not", he said, panicking "It just that if I mess up in court, instead of helping him, I'd only make it worse"

He did have a point though. A person who is truly innocent can be found guilty if there isn't enough evidence to support him, or if the prosecutor were really good like Von Karma, who has never lost a case in 40 years. Those guys have lots of tricks up their sleeve....and they'd do **anything** to get the guilty verdict.

Mia continued to ask him.

"Tell me, Phoenix. What was it that he did for you?"

It was about his childhood trauma. He had been falsely accused for stealing Edgeworth's lunch money. He was put on a class trial and was blamed by all his class mates. They didn't care if anyone else did it. All they cared was for him to admit he did it and say he's sorry. Then Edgeworth came to his defense. Even though it was HIS lunch money..... he protected Phoenix like a real defense attorney ( just like his father ). The rest of the class still wanted Phoenix found guilty...Until his other friend came to his defense. Larry Butz. Both he and Edgeworth worked together to protect Phoenix from their classmates. In the end The real culprit was never found.....even now we still didn't know who took the money.

'I can see why he's such a wimp for his age. He was traumatized by all of his classmates.', Mia thought, after hearing his story.

"So you see, Chief. I have to do this." He said with a confident look in his eyes.

"Phoenix.."

"Yes, Chief?"

"You don't have to worry. With my intensive training, I'm sure you'll become a highly skilled attorney"

"You really mean it, chief?"

She just nodded and smiled at him

"OH THANK YOU CHIEF!" He cried in gratefulness.

Their conversation ended right there as the clock struck one. It was time to continue with their training.

"Show me how much you're really dedicated to helping him!"

The sounds of a kendo stick striking one into submission were so loud, it can be heard from miles around. Their training was like that of a Swords Master forging a katana from weak iron. The pain and hardship that Phoenix will face in the near future was only a natural step, which one must take in order to become successful. Her methods were a little cruel though.

"WRONG!.......WRONG!!.......WRONG!!!" She snapped at every mistake, striking Phoenix harder as time passes.

Her training plan just keeps getting better and better.

It was finally 6 pm.

"Owwwwww. Why does law have to be so difficult?"

After a long day of.......this, It was finally time that they had a long break. Phoenix went to the couch and took a short nap while Mia cooked up something. Lawyers are usually busy with cases and have little time to cook, but Mia hasn't really got that many clients lately. (People are probably too scared to commit crime anymore with this lady in town.) Anyways, the cooking smelled so good it woke up Phoenix from his nap. He's probably really hungry by now since he had so little to eat for lunch.

I wonder what's for dinner.

"Oh boy!" ,said Phoenix "I'm so hungry, I could eat two boxes of mini omelets"

Mia walked in and put the stove on the table. "Bon Appetite" she said, opening the lid, revealing the food inside.

It's ..................It's.....................

**......Unimportant to the story. Think whatever you want! I'm gonna skip to after dinner.**

....

The food was actually quite good! Not as good as Dollie's lunch obviously, but it was still better than his own cooking that's for sure.

"That was amazing, Chief! Where did you learn to cook like that?"

"We'll I've had some cooking classes myself when I was your age." She said with pride "So! What do you think? Better than Dollie's, huh?"

"Not really, but It sure beats what my mom's cooking."

....

...

Uh oh...... he shouldn't have done that.

.....forgettting that he was in dangerous territory, those words just slipped from him.

...

"WHAT... DID... YOU.... JUST.... SAY !?!?!" she growled, grabbing her kendo stick. "THAT DAHLIA'S IS BETTER THAN ME!?!"

"GAAAHHH!!!" screamed Phoenix, as he was about to take a serious beating........again.

Mia's rage caused her cruelty to increase 200%. By now it was like she's ready to kill someone. What was supposed to be a relaxing evening for Phoenix, became his worse nightmare in an instant.

"TAKE THAT"

She said, Furiously slashing Phoenix.

"Ah no! Please! I'm sorry!" He begged for her forgiveness.

"I HATE DAHLIA!! WHY HER!?! WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST FORGET ABOUT THAT MURDEROUS B**CH AND FIND SOMEONE DECENT?" Her eye's burned hotter!

.......She was so angry about his love for Dahlia that all she could think of was revenge. One after another, the continuous strikes of the blade caused severe physical damage to her apprentice's body. She could keep this up for hours as long as her heart still seeks revenge for what Dahlia did to her.

Poor Phoenix probably won't be going home tonight. :(

_What did Phoenix ever do to deserve this? Why did she hate his girlfriend so much? What did Dahlia do to Mia which caused so much angst?_

_Someday Phoenix will find out................but not before he has acquired the skills to do so......_

* * *

To be continued......

**PS. With all of this violence, it looks like the intended Mia x Phoenix pairing isn't gonna happen, right? Please bare with me for a while. I'll get to the romance part after the bar exams.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Days of the Apprentice Chapter 3**

Looks like my previous 2 chapters have been….…lets say………. Too Fast.

I'll try to slow down the story a bit by adding as much detail I can.

* * *

**DAYBREAK!!**

It was early in the morning. The bright sun shined from outside, waking up all life form in its radius.

The silent breeze blew gently through the door which wasn't closed properly.

Phoenix had just woken up…… For some reason, his bed felt really uncomfortable. That's odd. He never had any problems sleeping there before…..

His bed had a really soft mattress, a thick blanket and a cuddly little teddy bear hand made by his beloved…. "You know who". (It even had a cute squeaky noise)

…

This time, however, the bed felt like it was made from itchy animal fur. The blanket was so thin it barely does any good keeping you warm, and there were no cute cuddly toys for him to hold when he gets lonely at night.

Poor Feenie. What happened to all his stuff? :(

He stretched his arms out and yawned loudly. Too sleepy to think about anything at the moment, he slowly got up walked over to his bathroom, with his eyes closed.......Consequently, he tripped on some random object and fell flat on his face.

Not saying a word, the frustrated Phoenix grumbled as he picked himself up, and rubbed his eyes before opening them. To his surprise, it didn't look like he was in his house at all. Rather, it was Mia's office!

"WAAAHH?" gasped Phoenix, in shock to find himself still in his mentor's workplace. He looked around to make sure his eyes didn't deceive him, and slapped himself just in case he was still dreaming. He wasn't.

Yes, it's true. He had really fallen asleep there last night.

"W-Why am I still in her office!?!..." He said in complete confusion, before he placed his palm on his aching forehead.

"Oww......What happened last night?"

Phoenix tried his best, but couldn't recall what happened last night after having dinner with his mentor. The last thing he could remember was Mia's last words….

"WHAT….DID…YOU…..SAY!?! THAT DAHLIA WAS BETTER THAN ME?"

The only things he saw were a shadowy figure with white aura and a long wooden unknown shaft, striking him violently, creating a commotion and breaking any other inanimate object in its way….....after that his mind just went completely blank

Phoenix just sighed. He lowered his head and noticed that…his clothes have changed!! His white shirt was now the blue t-shirt he used to wear at home….. The one he wore the exact same day he met "Her" might I add. He was now wearing black trousers instead of dark blue, and his body smells……..nice? It was like he was bathed with some brand soap made for females, but why? From what happened, he haven't bathed for 2 days now.

This was beginning to worry him. Now he was shivering and biting his nails.

What DID happen to him last night?

....

"Oh good. You're finally awake." Someone called him from out of nowhere.

He turned around to see Mia standing near the bookshelf, holding a nice, hot cup of freshly made coffee in her hand.

"C-Chief?"

How long had she been standing there watching and waiting for him?

Phoenix couldn't care less because he's too freaked out at the moment. He sat up straight and with no hesitation, began blasting her with questions.

**"Chief! What happened last night? What am I doing here? Why am I wearing my T-shirt?…...... Why do I smell like a girl?"**

The chief didn't respond right away. She took a sip of her dark bitter espresso before replying in a low, calm, indifferent tone.

"Well......after dinner, you just passed out and fell asleep in my office. I went to your house and grabbed some of your spare clothes." she said, taking another sip.

"I just passed out?" That's strange. Phoenix maybe a wimp but he's not that physically weak

Phoenix didn't buy her story because it didn't seem that simple. Not when she has a weapon at her disposal.

......Realizing that things break in here, he continued to ask her.

"What about the wreckage?" He asked her straightforwardly.

She pretended that she didn't know what he was talking about.

"Huh? What are you talking about"

"The wreckage, Chief! The room got trashed after dinner last night."

Phoenix was right. The chaos of last night left the office in ruins. But it looks quite fine right now.

"What wreckage?" she asked, giving him direct eye contact.

Mia did a pretty fine job hiding the evidence of the horrible (Phoenix slashing) incident that happened. The book shelves still neat without books laying on the floor. No pieces of broken flower pots, shattered glass or traces of spilled food. It was still the same office that it usually was.

Phoenix looked around again just to be sure, and saw no signs of any damage what so ever.

"There. Are you happy now?"

"Hmm, suppose I did. Silly me!" He smiled sheepishly…....

.........

**you gullible IDIOT!!! :( You just gonna let her get away with that?**

.........

Then Phoenix suddenly remembered something she told him on the first day and began to wonder......

'Hmm, If she really knew where I live, then why did she have to pick me up at the university' It didn't seem to add up.

"HOLD IT!" He spots a little error in that statement

Mia was stunned. She didn't expect that one coming. Seriously.

"You said that you had no idea where I live, and you don't have my number" He stood up, walked to the table, and slammed it with all his might. "There was no way you could have gone to my house."

"Aaack!" Mia Fey was damaged! The same way any lawyer does when his logic is proven wrong by the opposing side in the courtroom.

What he just did was one of the signs of an attorney's instinct. Impressed by the spark of his potential, she flipped her hair and replied.

"Very good, Phoenix. You really do have it in you." she gave him a confident smile. "Yeah. It's true that I don't know where you live, but I have my sources. Remember your murder case? I went to Mr. Grossberg's office and asked him for one of your old files. We usually keep a record of our clients address just in case."

"But since you could have asked him for the anytime you want, so what's the point of picking me up at University?"

"Oh, I just thought I made a dramatic appearance." Her smiled turned from confident to sweet.

'....just for that?...' Phoenix sweat dropped.

But that still doesn't explain the fact that his clothes are changed and he smells like Herbal Essences…or why she couldn't just take him home in the first place.

"About that" She spoke up "I couldn't just take you home like this. After you'd passed out like that, I figured you probably come to the office late if I let you sleep at your house. So I washed you up, changed your clothes and put you to sleep on the couch.

……

O_O

……

Silence filled the room once more as the wind blew louder.

.....

"W-WASHED….You….mean….you…..saw….me…..NAKED!?!" , screamed Phoenix as his face began to turn red. How cute…… XD

Mia said calmly…"Why of course! You haven't bathed for 2 days and it would be bad for your personal hygiene."

Phoenix then took a few steps back and fell on his butt.

"Y-You s-seriously gave me a bath?"

Mia noticed how much he was blushing right now. The expression on his face was just so cute, she just couldn't resist. She decided to have a little...... fun..... with him. While keeping a straight face, she continued talking about it.

"Yeah I did. I had to make sure you were completely cleaned. I washed your body thoroughly"

"T-T-Thoroughly!?!"

_Thoughts about her giving a bath now came to his mind. He could picture it already.....Mia, in her bathrobe, getting him undressed, lathering the slippery soap all over his body, rubbing and scrubbing in different places to make sure they're all clean.......her soft "assets" pressing against his back as she runs her fingers down his skin….._

'This is bad! Must stop thinking about it!' Phoenix shook his head and tried to stop thinking about it. Now he was fretting and blushing even harder.

"Oh stop it, will ya? It nothing to be embarrassed about…" She took another sip.

She was really good at putting up an act and making it seem so normal, but on the inside she was really thinking……'Oh, God I'm having so much fun. He looks so adorable when he's blushing. I wonder what he's thinking about me right now.'

........How does she manage to keep that indifferent look while having fun with something?

Luckily, Phoenix then realized that it was the office restroom, not bathroom.

"B-B-But Chief, Y-You couldn't have. I mean there's no bathtub or shower around here." quickly countered Phoenix, desperately trying to believe that she was just messing with him.

'Like I said' thought Mia while she enjoyed teasing him.

"I know. That's why I had to take you back to my apartment and bring you back here"

'S-She took me, TO HER PLACE? Instead of mine?'

If she puts it that way, he could no longer argue with her, and finally forced to accept it. Feenie, red as a tomato, turned to the corner and whispered to himself.

"Please forgive me, Dollie. Please forgive me, Dollie." begging forgiveness of his departed girlfriend.

......

Mia's fun ended right there.

....

'WHAT!?! He's still trying to be faithful to that woman? Even after that!?!'She dropped her coffee and the mug shattered to pieces. 'She tried to kill him. ….what does he still see in her?'

To think that Phoenix was going to forget his Dahlia by having him fantasize about another woman.... Yet he resisted and remained true. A very admirable trait indeed for believing in monogamy, but seriously would you still want to love someone who tried to murder you? Or was it someone else.....

Disappointed that she was unable to cure him from his love for Dollie, she slowly reached for her kendo stick…..

Smack! The hard strike to Phoenix's back, marks the beginning of there eight o'clock training.

"Alright, Phoenix! Time to train! And remember, NO SLACKING"

"Yes, Chief!" Then he turned to look at the clock. It was 8:30 already.

It wasn't like her to be the one who starts late even.

'I knew it, she WAS enjoying it'

....

_It seemed endless…the long hours of excessive abuse. Though Phoenix had the potential to become a lawyer, he still lacks the knowledge and skills. It could take months or even a few years, but at least now he has the ability to spot contradictions….The other thing he needs is to have more confidence and manliness, something that Mia will be training him on night sessions from now on._

* * *

To be continued…..

Hmm...Slowing down is gonna be harder than I thought. but I can't stop here....


	4. Chapter 4

Days of the apprentice….Chapter 4

Perhaps the romance part is beginning to come up a bit. But still, it's a bit early in the story to actually start getting serious about it. We still have a long way to go….I'm pretty sure you can wait, right?

* * *

**RECAP!!!!**

In the previous chapter, Phoenix found out that he had fallen asleep at Fey & Co. Law Offices. He and the chief had a little conversation about it that morning. Mia had a bit of fun teasing poor Feenie before starting their daily training……30 minutes late!!

Yeah…..nothing much happened right? Alright! Let's go!

......

As the hours go by, strike after deadly strike, little grasshopper Phoenix began to know more about law and the justice system. You have to admit that he CAN be somewhat slow though. Usually he tends to wonder off when he feels worn out; it keeps interfering with his training. Most of the time, it would be Dollie who he thinks about, greatly distracting him, making him unable to accept any new knowledge into his brain. The chief is really concerned about his low attention span….what can she do to improve his concentration?

End of day 3. Phoenix went home late……. again! Good thing he doesn't live with his parents anymore; they would've suspected his actions and grounded him for eternity. (But then again he's already graduated and could've called them if he did live with them)

Deprived of his only private transport, he had to wake up earlier just to get to the office in time. He ran up the stairs and went to the bathroom. While he was brushing his teeth and taking a shower, he though about what happened this morning.

…The thought about his beautiful mentor, whom he had only spend 3 days with, undressing him and giving him a nice….warm…….

"MAKE IT STOP!!! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!" He grabbed his head and kneeled down on the bathroom floor, panicking .

"Dollie will get mad at me for even thinking about another woman"

Alright! I'll stop….. Insecure much?

In order to get his thoughts about her out of his head fast, he hurried up with his shower, put on his striped pajamas, and opened his bedroom door ….where he found……

……..

The head of the teddy bear, hand crafted by his girl, had been violently severed off!!! The so called…… "Murder weapon"……was still stuck in the victim's body, and large traces of raw cotton was scattered all around the room.

Phoenix was lost for words as he aimlessly stared at his favorite toy, ruined during his absence.

"H-How…….W-W-Who…Who could've done this?"

Isn't it obvious? Who else do you think came by your house the other night to grab your stuff?

This was all too much for him to handle. "My precious……My precious….. WAAAHH"

He just burst into tears after coming to realize that the only thing he had left of Dahlia, which he tried his best to keep it a secret from Mia, had finally been discovered and destroyed.

"Why? Why did she have to be so mean to me?" He cried to himself.

Broken and greatly depressed, he scuffled to his bed and cried himself to sleep, not forgetting to pull out the knife and set the alarm clock to 6 am.

Personally, I think that Mia had gone a little bit too far this time; just because you hate someone, doesn't justify you taking out your hatred on another.

…… but how did she know the teddy was made by Dollie?

:(

Poor Feenie……..It wasn't until half past midnight when he finally got tired and fell asleep. He had been weeping for exactly one hour and a half.

.....

.....

**THE NEXT DAY!!!!**

It was exactly 6 am….still a bit dark. The sun had barely risen over the horizon.

Phoenix woke up from his COMFORTABLE (this time at least) bed. The only thing missing was that decapitated bear of his. Just thinking about it made Feenie cry for another half hour before he got out of bed.

:(

When he looked in the mirror today, his hair was pretty messed up. How odd! It usually just stays spiky like that no matter what he does to it.

**"Meh."** he said, more unenthusiastic than he usually is.

What's wrong with him today?

After he's all done with everything, he walked out the door and locked the house….How was he to get to the office? I guess he'll just have to take a cab….It was a 20 minute drive; not too long considering that there was no traffic this early.

He arrived at the office at 7:25. Mia was already there waiting, reading the morning news.

"Ah, Good morning, Wright," she said lifting up her paper.

"Yeah, Good morning...... Whatever……" He sounded upset.

"Hmm? What's wrong with you today?" She raised her left eyebrow, noticing that something wasn't right.

Phoenix walked up to her and showed her the knife covered in cotton.

"This is …. I see you've noticed the bear I stabbed"

She simply picked the knife from his hand and put it in her pocket.

"WHY?" he screamed, teary eyed. "Why did you destroy the only thing I had to remind me of her?"

"Didn't I tell you?" She stared sternly at him and reminded him.

"I want you to forget everything about that woman."

Phoenix was sobbing and about to cry again.

"……..DOLLIE!!!"

…….

The crying was so loud it woke up all the neighbors in a 10 kilometer range. Dogs barked and tried to climb the trees because of the annoying sound. A car crashed into a fire hydrant nearby, and a business man, who happened to be passing by, got knocked in the forehead by the flying lid and fell unconscious.

……..

Mia face palmed and tried to figure out what to do with him.

'Oh man, He's really got it worse than I thought…..Looks like I'll have to do some therapy with him'

"Alright, Phoenix" she said "We'll talk about this in our evening session"

"Sniff......Alright , chief," he said, wiping his tears away.

Today's training was quite …..how should I put it?…..much less active than it should be. Phoenix did what Mia told him as usual, but he was slower to answer. When Mia struck him today, he only replied, emotionless "…….Ow…." It's like he didn't care or even felt the pain at all. Perhaps his heart was hurting so much more than his body.

The chief couldn't help but worry about her apprentice's condition, but that didn't stop her from training Phoenix. They couldn't just let their emotions get in the way of something this important. Nonetheless, it was something they had to overcome as soon as possible.

Their finally ended at 6 PM. Phoenix, worn out and still upset, fell asleep on the couch while Mia prepares their meal. This was the second time that Phoenix dreamt about Dahlia…

…..

**Dream 2**_** .........Location: Meadow plains…Time: Unknown**_

_He was at the very same spot as last time, before the disaster where Dahlia fell into a bottomless pit and Phoenix couldn't save her….._

"_Feenie!" called Dahlia. _

_The red-headed girl ran from the far left of the meadow to see her boyfriend again. Her smile, like always, was full of sweetness……_

"_Dollie! Are you alright!?! I'm so sorry that I couldn't save you." _

_Phoenix was really apologetic for what happened the last time. He couldn't reach her. He let her fall to her death._

"_Eh?.....What are you talking about, Feenie?" _

_She didn't seem to remember what happened in the other dream. _

"_I was really worried about you, Dollie. I thought you have died."_

_He then lowered his head, and spoke in a sadder tone._

"_I feel so ashamed for being so powerless….I couldn't protect the girl that I loved. What kind of a man am I?"_

_Dahlia still didn't know about the previous events…_

"_Feenie…You're scaring me. What's going on?" _

"_I saw you fall into a bottomless pit…..I tried to reach you, but I couldn't grab you in time"_

_Dahlia was………stil lost. *Facepalm* Perhaps this dream wasn't connected to the previous one after all….._

"_You were probably having a nightmare, Feenie" She tried to comfort him._

"_I ……I was?"_

"_Yes, dear. You were probably so afraid about losing me; the thought got engraved into your mind."_

_Then she walked closer and gave him a passionate hug._

"…_But I'm here now, Feenie." She gently whispered. "Nothing shall ever separate us apart ever again." _

"_Dollie!" Tears ran down his face. "I'm so glad, to be with you once more."_

_He was happy and relieved to see her alive and well. The two love birds hugged and attempted to kiss like the last time…….but then……The sky turned black…..AGAIN. _

_......._

_A dark sorceress appeared out of nowhere. _

_.......__  
_

_-She was wearing a __**black hooded robe**__. _

_-Her eyes were covered, but you could see her __**nose, mouth and flowing brown hair.**_

_-Her right arm was literally a__** straight long-sword**__. _

_-Around her neck, a __**purple pendant **__that was in a shape of the __**number 6……**_

_**......  
**_

"_Your love shall never be accepted in this world" She decreed…_

_The sorceress summoned a storm that blew away Dahlia's umbrella. Then she flew towards Dahlia and from the back….pierced her through the heart…. _

"_Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh!!!!!"_

_Dahlia's blood splattered over the Phoenix's sweater. There was nothing he could do to save his impaled girlfriend. He trembled in fear, paralyzed, as he stared at the horrific sight._

_The witch then pulled out her sword arm; causing Dahlia to fall to her backside (In slow motion)……She gazed at him with her cold lifeless eyes and gave him one last smile…_

"_Fee………nie,……… I……I…… love-"_

_But before she could finish her sentence, the witch slowly moved her sword to the back of her shoulder and swung hard at Dahlia's neck, decapitating her and causing her head to fly off. The fountain of blood sprayed out from her headless body. _

_Feenie became even more terrified. His girlfriend was killed right in front of his eyes._

"D-D-D…." He let out a screeching wail, louder and more irritating than a banshee.

………..

**End of Dream**

…………

"!!! UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!DOLLIE!!!........huh?"

He yelled, waking from his dream, and then opened his eyes.

There was another car accident today. It was two drivers just minding their own business. They suddenly fell into panic and crashed into each other, creating an explosion which left 3 people dead and 8 wounded.

"It was just a dream……." The chief said, calming him down.

When he woke up, he found himself resting on Mia lap, and that she was looking down right at him….since when did she get there? No matter. He rubbed his eyes and lifted his torso up, sitting up straight.

"Ughh….What time is it?" He groaned.

It was about 7:30 pm. Dinner had been ready about an hour ago. Phoenix was sleeping so soundly, like a baby, Mia decided not to wake him up. Instead, she sat by the couch and watch over him. The wise chief could notice his signs of struggling, and could tell right away that he was dreaming about something painful.

He sighed and told her about his agonizing dream…….

"I-saw…..I saw her….. Killed ….right in front of me….. I couldn't even save the woman I love. What kind of a man am I?"

Although he DID talk about Dahlia and their love, which he wasn't supposed to as stated in their agreement on the first day, for some reason, Mia couldn't bring herself to hurt him today. All she did was moved closer and patted his back.

"Look, Phoenix." She said in sympathy.

"It'd be better off if you just forget about her… Not just so you can concentrate your training, but also for your heart. It would only cause you more suffering if you keep thinking about her."

"But….. I'm convinced that the Dollie who tried to kill me was a fake".

"Can you prove it?" She asked him if he could back that up.

"No….but I have this strong feeling, that the Dahlia Hawthorne who appeared in court" ….. ….he paused……. "-wasn't the same Dollie who spent our 6 months together. I can sense it!"

..........

Phoenix had absolutely no idea_ how right he was_.

The strong belief in one's innocence was another sign of Phoenix's potential of becoming a defense attorney. Sadly, this was one issue that Mia didn't want him to pursue, for it yields yet another dark and secret past, _one that involved Mia and had caused her to lose that which was also dear to her._

With the intent to make sure he doesn't, and to cheer him up in the process, she tried to encourage him to find someone else.

"Oh, Phoenix"

"I know that you've not dated anyone else since her, but that doesn't mean you should stop trying."

"Wha? What do you mean, chief?" Phoenix was puzzled.

"There are many fish in the sea. I'm positive that _one day_….you'll find _the right girl_ for you, no matter _how close _or_ how far _she maybe."

"You mean it, chief?"

"Yes!" She nodded and smiled at him. "Now go and eat your dinner. The ****** I prepared for you is getting cold."

"Right, chief" He smiled back and chowed down his food.

Well…that worked well. It's been about 20 hours, but he's finally returned to his usual cheerful energetic self again.

.....

By the way, in case you guys were wondering…….I will **NEVER** tell you what Mia cooks for Phoenix's dinner. Like it will be important to the story anyways……(And, No. The number of stars I type does **NOT** hint you the number of letters of the name of the food.)

......

After Dinner, It was time for Phoenix's therapy session to get him off his love obsession.

"Phoenix. There's something I have to show you……"

She took out a black suitcase…..

"Know what this is?"

Phoenix knew quite well what it was. The box that held captive his prized possession. Forever locked away by a key was thrown out the window by Mia.

"It's ……MY SWEATER…" He shouted.

"I knew you couldn't forget something like that"

"But what's the point? You threw away the key remember?" asked Phoenix.

"Oh this suitcase doesn't use a key. It uses a password"

Wait ….What did she say?

"I only threw away a fake key just to make it look dramatic."

Phoenix had been made a fool out of……and it wasn't funny to him at all.

Mia Instructed Phoenix what to do next.

"Now when I open this, I want you to resist the temptation. Don't try to come and grab it. Ok?"

"Right, chief" he said enthusiastically.

She punched in the password and slowly opened the suitcase, revealing the pink article of clothing. The heart with the letter "P" was a sight for sore eyes. He did try to resist. Indeed he did.

"Come on, Phoenix! Don't give in!" She rooted for him.

…..Alas, the temptation was far too great. Why? Because Dollie's face kept popping up on the sweater...

He was literally drooling on the couch....the he turned beast.

"DOLLIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!...."

Unable to resist the urge to take back what is his, he leaped into the air,_like a tiger striking its prey_……again in slow motion. While Phoenix was still in mid air, Mia took her kendo stick, battered up, and gave him a forceful swing which sent him flying across the office and smashed him into the wall, before his body slid down.

"Pathetic! You have absolutely no resistance."

The chief scolded him in dissatisfaction.

"Guess I'll have to make a man out of you myself!!"

…_..And things got pretty sadistic for the rest of the 2 hours……well at least he'll only have to put up with it for another day for this week. _

* * *

To be continued......

PS. And what of the accidents caused by Feenie's outbursts? Who cares....they bore the snot out of me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Days of the Apprentice chapter 5**

Um.......this is the fifth part of the series, and it looks like I'm not doing so well stalling the romance part……….I guess I'm in more of a hurry than I expected.

As usual, Please review so I can try to get better……If this is getting kind of repetitive for you, please inform me right away, and I'll try to come up with more elements.

* * *

Woot! Friday mornings are always good, knowing that you'll have a two day's break ahead of you.

Feenie, still a wimpy crybaby, had to deal with the harsh training that hurt him both physically and mentally. Thank god, today was the last day of the week. He'll get a chance to recover this weekend, especially after what happened last night……..

….Ugh….his back hurts like hell……It used up every tube of painkillers at home, but even that didn't help him. Worse, he had to go to bed with his pajamas wet from the excessive cream abuse, which wasn't even effective.

It wasn't all too bad for the joyful Feenie though, exited about spending his time enjoying his graduation break for once, after whole week's worth of intensive study and ruthless punishment.

"Sweet! I'm gonna have some fun this weekend." he said cheerfully.

Feeling fresh like the innocent young child he is, Phoenix got up from his bed earlier than usual. He went through his morning routine like always, and headed straight to Mia's work place in a boy was so full of adrenalin that his back pain was like nothing.

When he got to the office door………locked!!! He knocked three times to see if anyone was there……….

…….knock…….

…………………

…….knock…….

…………………

…….knock…….

No answer. Pretty obvious that it was too early. In fact it was only 6:50……..What the hell were you THINKING coming here so early?

Phoenix sighed; all his effort coming this early, wasted! Eventually his pain came back as he waited for her to show up.

He slowly sat down, leaning against the wall in the silent corridor, and began thinking about all the possible activities he could be doing with these two days off…….

"Oh yeah!", smiled Feenie, as he began talking happily to himself.

"I'm gonna go get some ice-cream, rent some movies, go the amusement park, ride the roller coaster,-"

….etc….(whatever)…….his long list continues…

…………..

7:15 am

Mia would usually be here by 7:00, but she had some personal errands to run this morning. She parked her shiny black Mercedes near the building and stepped out, holding a bag of freshly bought groceries, (What dat for?) Then quickly walked up the stairs to her office.

......little did she know, the kid was already sitting there, waiting for her by the empty hallway.

'I better get the office cleaned up before Phoenix shows up.'

She began to hear a familiar voice as she was rushing closer to her destination. To her surprise, it sounded like Phoenix.

'Huh? He couldn't be here THIS early, could he?' she wondered….

Indeed it was him……..still thinking about his weekend, not paying attention to his surroundings. The chief knew that she wouldn't be noticed for sure, and decided to sneak up on him. One tip toe at a time, she approached the sitting chatter-box Phoenix.

"-Hang out with my buds, go to the beach, play some video games, go to the haunted house-"

She bent down and waved her hand a few times in front of his face, but he still didn't notice her and kept on going with his plans. Impatient to wait until he finishes, she placed her hand on his shoulder and said…….

"Boo!"

"GAAAAHHHHH!!!" Spooked, Phoenix jumped up and hit his head on the ceiling.

"Rise and shine, little bird!"

"Ouch…..Why'd you do that, chief?"

She just chuckled. "Phoenix. What are you doing here this early anyway?"

"Oh nothing really.. I mean…I just got up earlier than the alarm clock for some reason, and since I had nothing else better to do, I thought I'd just chill out at the office before training begins." He said lightheartedly.

"That's so nice. If only you could come early like this everyday"…she paused……. "Well?…………..Could you?"

It seemed like a simple requested. Not something he couldn't do, right? …

……

Right?

……..

.......

(Copying Lex Luthor)

**WROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!!!!!!!!!**

……

Phoenix has to arrive by 8:00 am and is allowed home no earlier than 10:00 pm arrives at about 10:30 pm; use the bathroom for another half hour and another twenty minutes to actually fall asleep, has to wake up at least 6:30 am to get him self ready, and finally, leave the house at 7:00 am just to get to the office on time without any traffic.

Leaving him with only..........seven….........hours...............

........(begins sweating like Attorney-Phoenix)

…. and ten……minutes….of……. sleep?

AWWW…who am I kidding? Of course Feenie can come early. :)

"Ok, Chief!........I guess.." agreed Phoenix.

"Wonderful! Now help me with the groceries while I unlock the door."

Phoenix picked up the scattered apples and oranges and carried the bag inside. It was the first time Phoenix had seen the office in such a state of chaos. (In the morning, that is) Though Mia would think about cleaning it up right now, she hadn't really got many clients lately. And since it was gonna be messed up again anyway…They could just do so once their training is done and they're about to go home, to not waste anymore effort.

She grounded the beans and waited for the water to boil her daily cup.

"Would you like some coffee, Wright?" She offered.

Scratching his head, he asked. "C-Coffee? Wad dat?"

.........

Um, Yeah…... Phoenix had never drunk coffee before. His mom told him it was very high in caffeine, and she worried it would get him addicted......Another reason that didn't help him become a man; he never even got a chance to taste the drink of manliness.

But never heard of coffee?

.........

**GET OUT OF HERE!!!**

.........

"Ugh. You don't even know what coffee is?" *face-palm*

The chief brewed him an extra cup. …..The strong aroma of dark rich coffee spread into the air as she poured an extra cup for her apprentice. It was so intoxicating; he could only gaze at the mysterious black liquid.

"Try some! You'll like it."

"So this is what coffee looks like……..My mom would never let me-"

Before he could finish, she grabbed his head and poured some of the coffee in his mouth. The bitterness of the pure coffee made Phoenix choke as he could barely handle the taste of his first cup.

*cough cough cough* "So….bitter…..my throat……" *cough cough cough*

"Geez. You're such a kid, you know that?" she sighed "I guess It can't be helped."

She took the cup back to the table and added some sugar and cream to make it mild for sensitive Feenie boy..........Obviously, he wasn't mature enough to withstand the awesome power of black coffee., pure and unsweetened.

.........

....................at least not yet anyway.

.........

Though,… She did kinda force the liquid into him….. Anyways, she added about 2 teaspoons of sugar and a table spoon of cream..

"Better?" she asked.

"Yeah. Thanks chief!" He took a long drink. "But what if mom finds out about this?"

"Well your mom's not here right now, is she?" She gave him a wink and a mischievous smile.

"You do have to does taste kinda good." He took another sip.

Suddenly, the little boy became more energetic than ever. His eyes widen as he began to feel the power.

"What is this energy? I feel so active …..and motivated."

"That's coffee for you." Mia explained "The caffeine decreases your drowsiness and releases hormones which gives you the energy to start your daily activities."

"Cool! Let's train!" He shouted in excitement.

'Astounding' she thought. Phoenix had never been THIS eager to start training, and it's not even 8:00 am yet.

The chief wasn't all too ready herself when he just grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to their training desk, placing the Kendo sword in her hand along the way.

"W-W-Whoa! Slow down, Phoenix. It's not time yet"

"Come on! Come on! Let's get moving!!" He demanded.

……..

Uh-oh. That coffee must have worked a little too well…

......

It didn't make him smarter, but it did make him more effective and less likely to slack off. The spiky hair boy was now fast like Sonic! He answered all of Mia's questions, though not all correct, so swiftly that she didn't even get a chance to finish the whole question. Assignments are done in a flash; the chief had to check them quickly.

As much as the Kendo strikes are concerned, they didn't even put a single scratch on Phoenix's body. All he did was said "Sorry, Chief! I'll read it again", and he continued studying until he got it right. Scary, it was for Mia knowing the blade couldn't harm him.

......She even used it in desperation to make him slow down his responses.

He needn't rest nor take bathroom breaks. Lunch was devoured in exactly ten minutes.

Books finished so quickly and all content was memorized. The strain began to build up in the chief's tired body. Despite that, she was glad that they've managed to cover a lot in such a short period of time.

Sadly, this is a one time effect that all new coffee drinkers, who have a certain level of insanity, experience. After this, the second cup won't be packed with this much energy, only enough to keep you awake……

Finally, it was 6:00 pm. Exhausted, Mia just flopped down on the couch and took a short nap. (While Phoenix just sits there to use up his energy.)

.........

"WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Randomly yelled Phoenix, for no absolutely reason at all.

……0_0

*car crash*

.......

Dinner time came round……She woke up at 7:30 pm with an excruciating headache….

'Man.. I've gotta get myself a Bokken' she thought. 'Kendo swords just don't give you that certain power and speed anymore'

True! If she does buy one of those, the damage to Phoenix, per strike that is, would increase dramatically. Tough luck for him as the coffee effect, which was acts like an impenetrable armor, wouldn't work on him anymore.

Feenie cried, teary eyed. "I'M HUNGRY!!!"

"Okay! Okay! I'll prepare something quick for you"

She hurried to the kitchen and turned on the stove before he even attempts to start weeping like a spoiled brat again.

........

..…And for today's meal?

…..Not telling ya…….

…….

Phoenix's "Super mode" eventually wore off.

"Aww…I was just getting used to it too" He frowned.

You've already had your fun. It's high time you've learned to use your own power.

.........

"MOAR! I must have MOAR power!"

I said NO!! You aren't allowed MOAR than one cup a day. Too much caffeine will ruin your health. Besides, it won't work on you anymore, so calm down and LET ME FINISH THE STORY WILL YA?

The two had some spare time with each other before they went home. No more training was required as they have done a three-days-worth (in usual time), all stuffed into one day.

After the office had been properly cleaned up, they sat down together on the couch, doing nothing but relaxing under the beautiful city moonlight.

Right now there was something Phoenix couldn't help but wonder. He brought up about his "dead" bear that was thought to be safely hidden away from his mentor.

"So um.. chief?" He quietly spoke

"Yes?"

"I was wondering. How did you find out that my Teddie bear was made by……" He looked left and right, then whispered to her " ….you know who?"

"It was simple, Wright." She answered "I read Chapter 3 of this fanfic and found out about it."

……

……….Riiiiiiight…..I'm so believing this.

.....

"Plus, I've found some of this _black hair_ on the doll, so ran a _simple_ DNA test and the results matched Dahlia's. Shame on you, Wright! You've been hiding evidence from me again." She said sternly.

"I'm sorry, chief. It's just so hard to let go….."

……..

So Mia found a hair that belonged to Dollie……Interesting.

……..

"OBJECTION" *couch slam* "I see a serious contradiction around here"

"What now?" She looked annoyed.

"Even you should know this, chief. You were there with me in court that day."

"What are you implying?"

"If there's one thing I know for sure about my Dollie is that….HER HAIR IS RED"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH" screamed Mia.

Once again, her logic had been proven wrong.

"B-But she could have dyed her hair. That's right. Why else would the DNA have matched Dahlia's?" She tried to counter him.

Lies…. ALL LIES! She knew damn well she did. Dahlia Hawthorne appeared in court twice; both times her hair was RED, and her old test results showed no traces of artificial hair coloring.

Phoenix had no knowledge of this info, however. It was all in favor for the chief.

How could you, Mia?....Accusing your own apprentice for hiding evidence when you had actually been doing the same thing to him yourself.

That, however, posed no threat to Phoenix's case. The fact still remains…..

**1.) Phoenix was convinced that the Dahlia who appeared in court wasn't the real "Dollie" he dated, judging from her personality.**

**2.) Dahlia's head was most definitely RED…while the hair that matched her DNA was actually BLACK.**

Yet this whole theory contains its own contradiction. If the girl who dated Phoenix was actually the black haired girl, why couldn't he tell the difference from the beginning?

I'd rule out the possibility that he was so much in love that he didn't notice. A wig would also be too obvious to spot.

……..

Wait! She said "simple" DNA test.

……..

Phoenix thought hard about the facts.

"If there was only _one _of them, then she'd have no reason to dye her own hair in the first place."

0_0 genius…..

"ACK!!!" Mia was struggling now.

"There could only be one possible conclusion."

*couch slam*

"That the real Dollie I dated could not have actually been Dahlia Hawthorne, but someone else who looked exactly identical to her!"

.......

~cornered theme 2001~

.......

W-Well done Phoenix. You're now one step closer to knowing the truth. But you've still got a long way to go. A _very long way _from _here_.

.......

"My My. You're getting quite good at this." she said before slowly facing away.

"Even so, I'd rather you leave this one alone." She turned back and gave him a pleading look. "Can you do that, Phoenix?......For me?"

W-What? It could most likely be that his girlfriend isn't the same culprit who did Mia wrong. This info could be beneficial to both of them, so why didn't Mia want him to find out the truth? Was she trying to hide that girl?

"*sigh*…..Very well, chief" He replied without question.

"I suppose I have more important things to do at the moment……right chief?" He grinned.

"Yep!" She nodded, warmly smiling back.

The clock struck 10:00, marking the end of their week at the office….

"It's getting late. Want me to give you a ride home?

"I'd appreciate that, chief"

They both got up from the couch. Mia went to get her car keys. But before they left, Phoenix still had one last thing on his mind.

"Say, chief"

"Yes, Phoenix?"

"Why did you choose me? To be your student, that is…."

"Huh?" The chief seemed confused.

"I mean…..I'm just trying to become a simple lawyer to repay a friend. I could've gone to any law firm, yet you were the one who came to me first……."

Grossberg and Co, law offices would've gladly accepted Phoenix, had Mia not taken him before he could do so. Surely Mia wouldn't mind telling him the reason this time.

"Chief, I must know. What is it that you see in me?"

"Silly boy, do I even have to answer that?"

The chief walked up to him and moved her lips close to his ear.

……..

"You've just shown me………" she gently whispered.

* * *

**To be continued**

Wow….so much mood swings huh? This whole story ……….Dark? Light? I can't even tell anymore


	6. Chapter 6

**Days of the apprentice Chapter 6**

I've been rushing through the previous chapter again. Sorry.

This chapter is gonna be mainly about Phoenix having his third dream about Dahlia, and as you have guessed, she miraculously returns from the dead…. AGAIN!!!! This time they get to be together longer than ever, and it looks like Phoenix has something to ask her.

This does NOT mean the rest of the story will become a Dahlia (Iris) x Phoenix one. It will stay Mia x Phoenix and that's how it's gonna end!!!

* * *

........

.......

The road was silent as Mia's black Mercedes drove slowly though the night. Most people had already gone to sleep by then, but there were those who still haven't finished with their usual daily routines.

The two rarely had the chance to enjoy such beautiful scenery, mainly too busy from work. (or studying, for the kid)

At the back seat, Phoenix yawned. Sleepy he was, it being way past his bed time after all. But then again it always has been and forever will be…. as long as he remains under her constant supervision.

They finally arrived at Phoenix's house, at 10:55 pm? It's very unlikely to take longer than 30 minutes in an empty road like this.

She had been driving quite slower than the speed limit required. It's not like her as she was the type of person who likes to be early……..so why was this?

"Thanks for the lift, chief" he said, stepping out of his mentor's luxurious car.

"Don't mention it! I'll see you on Monday."

"Great! See ya!"

Free as a bird at last! No more intensive and painful training for the next two days. Feenie couldn't wait a second to get to his bed right now.

He ran as quickly as he could to his door step and searched furiously for his keys, misplaced somewhere deep in his pockets, hoping that he could get inside before anything bad happens to him again.

"Oh, Phoenix." Mia called out.....

Too late, Phoenix.. :p

…. 'I have a really bad feeling about this'…..He turned around and walked back to see what she wanted.

"Yes, chief?"

The chief handed him a couple of books she brought with her. Phoenix nearly fell to the ground upon receiving them, as they weighed about a quarter pound and probably contained about a thousand pages…..each.

"I'll be expecting you to do your reading. Don't spend too much time slacking off." She ordered.

Although it was only his first week at the office, Mia wasn't gonna let him off on his training that easily.

'Great, just great! More work for me.' He grumbled.

And just when he thought he was finally gonna get a break from all that studying since he graduated. All work and no play, makes Feenie a dull boy.

He could only watch as the car drove off into the darkness.

'Sigh….I guess it can't be helped I suppose.'

Disappointed about having to study this much bulk on the weekends, with no hope of a vacation or rest, he slouched to the door, carrying his heavy books along with him. Suddenly, the key that he had been looking for appeared on the door knob. It wasn't there when he was still searching, so why did it just show up from out of nowhere?

..........

"Mmmrrrrrrgggh……Uuaaaaaaaaaaaaa…. aaaaaaaaaaaaargh! Uaaaaarrrr... aaa... oooh…..Worrrrrrrggg... aaa... oooooh..."

Apparently, fate had been playing a trick on him again, and this time it wasn't funny.

Enraged, Phoenix rapidly banged his spiky head against the door.

"WOOORRRRRRROOOORRGGHH!!!!!!!"

His roar was so loud and satanic, it scared all the neighbors sh*tless.

"YOU ARE THE VERY CURSE OF MY SOUL!!!!....I'LL BURY YOU! I'LL BURY YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!!!! DEATH!!! DEATH!!!!"

The boy banged harder and harder until the door literally shattered into small, useless, incoherent fragments of wood chips.

Looks like his two days isn't gonna be so much fun after all. *sniff* :(

……..

You can show your support for Feenie by donating him a free ice-cream cone.

……..

**Bed time**

All of the lights in his house were turned off. His bedside lamp was the only thing still lit. Poor kid couldn't sleep in the dark, still being afraid of it.

Seriously! You're like 20 years old or something, yet you still believe in _ghosts _and use nightlights? Grow up will ya?

The boy tucked himself into his nice cozy bed, pulling up his soft blanket and cuddling his cute, headless bear.….........creepy.

"Good night, blanket….Good night, pillow….Good night, my precious Dollie bear who's head been severed by my mean teacher."

………

Sweat drop……..

'-_-

…..…I repeat what I said.

…………

………… _A gust of wind blows through the empty plains_………

...............

**_Location: Meadow plains…Time: Late Morning….._**

_Yet again, it seems like he has somehow found his way to the exact spot the previous times. Under that stupid tree!_

_The girl was standing just a few feet in front of him. How in the world did she defy death….not once but twice?_

"_DOLLIE!" _

_Feenie, who desperately needed to see his lover once more, ran and jumped right into Dollie, wrapping his arms around her._

"_Oh, DOLLIE" He felt like sobbing. "I thought I'd never see you again"_

"_Eh? What do you mean?" asked Dahlia, confused at the way he acted._

_It had already happened to him twice already. First, she fell into a hole. Second, she was brutally stabbed from behind by a witch in black, who kinda resembles ……..someone he knows._

_Phoenix didn't want to see her die for a third time……Even though **she was already dead **in the real world, dreams, created by the memories of one's own psyche, can still haunt and traumatize people on the inside as well._

"_I saw you get killed by a witch last time; right in front of my eyes…..I was so terrified."_

"_What witch?"  
_

_Once again, she was completely lost. Phoenix broke the hug and grabbed her shoulders. Trying to refresh her memory, he looked her straight in the eye and spoke a bit louder._

"_Don't you remember? The witch who appeared from nowhere and impaled you from behind." _

_Dahlia can't (I mean has no ability to) remember anything from his previous dreams. It should have come to Phoenix by now to stop asking these silly questions and just ignorantly enjoy the blissful dream……_

_"Feenie? What's gotten into you? I'm alive, and I'm standing right here next to you." she yelled.  
_

_Not to overemphasize the obvious, but it was right there. Couldn't he see it?  
_

_Tears began to run down her face, worried about her boyfriend's mental health. (Aren't we all?)_

_Realizing that there was no way she could remember past events, he finally decided to give up._

"_Uhh......I supposed it never happened then." He exhaled.  
_

_Phoenix __ released her then gave a sad smile, c__overing up the pain inside of him_

"_Seeing you get killed before me…..........__it __all must have been just a nightmare"  
_

"_That's right, Feenie." The girl seemed to cheer up a bit. _

_"But if you're still that worried-"_

_She closed her fluffy parasol and stepped a little closer to her boyfriend, placing her hands on his warm chest.  
_

"_Why don't you….kiss me, to make sure I'm real?" She coaxed.  
_

_Feenie blushed red like a tomato as his girlfriend leaned forward to kiss him. His mind going blank as he was about to receive the smooch he had been longing for But then in a flash, he regained focus, just from recalling what happened in his previous dreams. The fear that another disaster will strike and take her away again was too much he could bear._

_He pressed his fingers on her lips, preventing her from reaching his. _

_Knowing for certain that something was going on, she widened her eyes before turning away.  
_

"_Feenie? What's wrong?" She said in resentment.  
_

"_I'm sorry Dollie. I just can't do this right now." He took a few steps back away from her._

_Regrettable for him it__ was__, having to say something like that to her, but he had to………Or else._

_Those words of his really seemed to __hurt Dahlia. She couldn't understand why her 'lover' would turn down a kiss __just __like that._

_"__Why are you being so cold to me?" she asked in a sad tone._

_"Dollie....I-I"_

_Phoenix reached out to hold her hand but was was quickly brushed off as Dahlia, about to cry again, was no longer in the mood for his fake sympathy.  
_

...............

"_Don't you.............love me anymore, Feenie?!?!"  
_

_Heartbroken and in despair, the depressed maiden sat down on a __nearby __rock and began sobbing mournfully, with both her palms covering her face while her tears poured down like raindrops and her voice hiccuped._

_"Why, Feenie?......I thought that we were meant to be.......How could you end our relationship so cruelly like this?"  
_

_Poor Dollie. It wouldn't be good just to leave her in grief like that. Phoenix stammered as he gathers the words to say her._

"_I-I-It's not like that Dollie. I-" _

"_THEN WHAT IS IT!?!" __ She shrieked at him in a high pitched voice. "__WHY ARE YOU REJECTING ME LIKE I MEAN NOTHING TO YOU!?!?!"_

_*Gulp*  
_

_Phoenix was startled at the way she reacted, but it was understandable. That was exactly how a girl would feel if the guy whom she had loved and cherished didn't feel the same way about her anymore._

_To make himself sound more convincing, he __inhaled and exhaled heavily to calm down his nerves before trying to explain his complex situation._

"_I'm not trying to reject you or anything. It's just that-" He paused._

"_- every time we attempt to kiss, you get snatched away by some random disaster. What if it happens again this time?"_

_He knelled down beside her and ran his fingers through her red silky hair, trying his best to comfort her._

"_I just don't want to lose you again, Dollie......I love you. I always have and always will." He said, flattering her.  
_

_Dahlia was still unsure about his words.'What if he's lying?' she thought. But in the end she couldn't resist that gentle, honest look upon his face. _

_*sniff*…. "You really mean it?" _

"_Yes, Dollie" He assured. "I don't know what I'd do if we got separated again. I want to spend as much as I can with you So please, trust me. "_

_Phoenix wiped away the tears from her eyes and gently touched her smooth cheek. _

"_Oh, Feenie..." _

_She finally stopped crying and smiled back at him. "Alright, Feenie. I believe you." _

_She held up her right arm so that Feenie could lift her up from the rock. _

_A brief moment of silence filled the empty grass plains as they embraced each other in a passionate hug. The sound of the blowing wind was so calm. _

_The couple took a stroll along the flowery meadow. Hand in hand, they walked together, spending their time appreciating the beauty of nature. _

_How long has it been for Phoenix……..? _

............

_After a while, they settled down by flowerbed where they had a small picnic. She had prepared him his favorite meal as usual, the same way she did while they were still in university. _

_Bite after scrumptious bite, she chopstick-fed those Mini-Omelets into Feenie's hungry mouth. _

………_.._

_Mmmm. They were just magically delicious........................…Eee hee hee hee._

…………_._

**Dream break! **(Time to see what the others are doing in the real world.)

Suddenly, Mia woke up from her sleep for no reason.

Unable to control of her actions, she just got out of her bed and changed into her usual office suit. The time didn't seem to matter to her right now, as her mind was set to do whatever it tells her to.

Mia got into the car and drove to Mr. Grossberg's house in the middle of the night, speeding through the asphalt paved road.

Dodging through car after car at more than 200 miles per hours, this vixen had absolutely no fear of crashing into something or getting caught by the traffic police.

It was like an irresistible urge to do a certain action; an instinct triggered subconsciously.

When she did arrive, leaving a trail of carnage along the way, the chief rang the doorbell repeatedly, until her ex-boss finally got annoyed and came to get the door.

………

I suppose you can obviously tell what's going to happen to poor Mr. Grossberg next.

………

**_The dream continues_**

…_..The afternoon sun spread across the wide plains. Shadows became longer as the hours passed….._

_The couple laid down beside their usual spot under the tree, resting their sleepy little heads against one another, staring at the birds soaring gracefully through the azure skies. _

_Phoenix took this opportunity to ask his girlfriend about something interesting that he found out in the real world. Unlikely that Phoenix will be able to get any new information from his own memories. Still, he had to take the risk. _

"_Dollie, can I ask you something?" He spoke up from nowhere._

_The girl turned to him and replied. "Anything, dear Feenie" She was completely opened for questions._

"_It's about the Teddy bear you made for me…"_

"_Yes? What about it?"_

_He mentioned a certain piece of evidence, collected while still in the office. _

"_See…I found a piece of **black **hair on it. The DNA results says it matches yours"_

_Dahlia nearly chocked at what he discovered about her. In an attempt to not blow her cover, she quickly came up with something to refute his claim._

"_W-What?" She gasped "Impossible! My hair is **naturally red**." _

"_True, but then why didn't I find a single red hair on it at all…"_

"_T-T-That's-" _

_Suspicious as it looks, Phoenix could tell right away that something was being hidden from him. The boy pressed her, like the future attorney he would become._

"_Oh Really?" he nagged. "Are you sure you're not keeping a secret from me?" _

_Dahlia was really in trouble now as she was clinging to her parasol, sweating bullets. She gave him a smile which showed obvious signs of insincerity and insecurity._

"_O-O-Of c-c-c-course not, d-d-dear Feenie. W-W-Why w-w-would you s-s-say that?"_

_Stammered as hell it was! An obvious lie, and both of them knew it, so instead of trying to formulate a strategy to make her cough it up, he cut to the chase and asked her straightforwardly. _

"_Dollie, please tell me the truth. Do you…… **have an identical twin sister?**"_

……_.._

_Got cha!! 0_0 _

……_.._

"_I…….I…."_

_Caught red handed, the girl screamed as a gust of violent wind blew through her hair and parasol. (Breakdown)_

_At this point, she could no longer hide the truth from him. If she did, it will surely damage their relationship even further. One that was stuck in a rut, full of secrets and miserable lies._

"_Alright, It's true………I confess" She said hesitantly. "I do have a twin sister." _

_Phoenix looked upset at his girlfriend for lying to him, about her sister and about her teddy._

"_It was actually my twin sister who hand-crafted that bear for you."_

_From hearing that statement alone, learning that the favorite toy that he had been hugging every night, which he blindly believed was another '**symbol of their love'**, was actually made by another person, his heart began to create a feeling of **distrust** for her._

"_So I suppose that all of **those lunches and that sweater was also made by her**." sarcastically replied Phoenix._

_Dahlia tried to defend herself "No, I-……. I can explain!" _

"_What?" His tone hinted with anger. "That our love had been a lie all along? How you **pretended to date me just to get your necklace back** and **let your sister do all the dirty work**?"_

"_That's not true!!!!" Bursting into tears as she cried out. _

"………_.Please, just here me out."_

"_I'm listening" He crossed his arms, looking very stern at her._

_Dahlia's sister made that bear especially for Phoenix in thanks for taking such good care of Dahlia. She was so envious about their relationship and wished she had a boyfriend herself._

_The "**sister**" in question, would've **love** to meet this man in person, but could not by any means let him know about her existence, for if he had found out, he might think that SHE was the one who really made all those things for him ……and could off set Dahlia's relationship._

_Disguised as another love present, it was the only possible way to pass on her feelings to him. It was more than enough to satisfy the sister who **shall remain hidden from him**. _

"_Hmm, I see…." The boy nodded in comprehension._

"_-And that's why I had to do what I did." she finished her story "I couldn't just turn down my sister's request either. It would be selfish of me to do that to her."_

_She faced away to the side and sulked, feeling bad for keeping this important matter a secret from him._

"_Feenie" She murmured. "I'm sorry I lied to you. Can you ever forgive me?"_

_Not a single word was spoken in response. Instead, he gently pulled her body close and held her in his arms, relieving Dahlia; she took that as a sign that he had already forgiven her._

_With their lover's quarrel finally over, the couple spent the rest of the day relaxing on the meadow plains, watching the world go by…._

_Evening fell……they gazed at the bright orange sunset over the horizon.  
_

_Seeing that the sky was gradually getting dark, Dahlia stood up from that small patch of grass and picked up her parasol, ready to head back from this place. It was quite enough fun for one day. _

"_It's getting late. Let's go home, Feenie." She said sweetly…._

...............

_Sure…Like he can, considering that he's still in a dream! :(_

..............

……_The girl simply tipped her head and gave a smile before walking on ahead, leaving him to sit there until he decides to leave as well._

_Realizing that the two were going to part from each other anyway, it would be a shame for Phoenix to __just __end the day in his dream like that. He picked himself up from the ground and followed her._

"_Wait!", shouted Phoenix, stopping Dahlia in her tracks. "There's still one last thing I want to do with you today."_

"_And what might that be, Feenie?"_

"_Remember when I told you that you'd get kill if we try to kiss? I think there might be a way…."_

_Of course she remembers! You only told her this morni-……._

_.................Oh god no. -_- _

_.......You're not seriously gonna do what I think you're gonna do…….are you?_

'_Hmm…. Maybe. Just maybe. If we're fast enough, then we could at least get that kiss and enjoy ourselves. It maybe only for a short time before an thing bad happens, but that should be worth it.'_

_*Facepalm* Why do I even bother?_

_He told Dahlia his "ingenious plan to outsmart whatever it was that was controlling his fate" quietly so that no one else in dream land would know. She slightly blushed upon hearing that and agreed to do it. _

_They put their plan into action immediately, acting like they were parting normally with nothing between them, deliberately making themselves look and sound like a couple of idiots. _

..........

"_So umm…I guess I'll be seeing ya, Dollie! We should do this again another time."_

…………

"_Umm…yes. I had a really good time. Goodbye for now, Feenie."_

……………

_The couple took a moment to glance around the area, making sure that no one else was watching. In an instant, they pulled their bodies together faster than lightning and kissed…..She opened her parasol to cover their little love scene. To their surprise, nothing happened! No earthquake, No nothing! It was too good to be true.  
_

"_Aww….how sweet." An unknown voice interrupted their moment._

_Breaking the kiss, Phoenix looked at the familiar figure in **a black robe** that was standing besides another tree a few yards away from them. Her body oh so slender and perfect. Her face so sinfully gorgeous, covered only by her black specter's hood. Her hair long and luscious. Her lips as red as the rose._

_It was her! The same witch who murdered Dahlia in his previous slumber._

"_Y-You! You're the witch who killed my beloved Dollie last time." He pointed at her._

"_Ahahahahahaha" The witch let out a fiendish laugh. "I'm glad you remembered me, Phoenix Wright."_

"_Feenie? Is this the witch that you were talking about?" Dahlia then changed her direction to the witch._

"_Who are you anyway?" she questioned._

_The evil witch answered with pride. "I am the great sorceress who rules over this land. I am the true absolute power around here and I'm second to no one. All who dare defy me or even question my authority must perish into oblivion"_

_Umm….Name? Please?_

"_My name….. It is not of importance, but for the sake of easy referencing, just call me….** 'La Fey' **…"_

"_L-La Fey?"_

_La……….Fey!?! 0_0 (And no. This is NOT Pearl's mother, Morgan Fey.)_

"_So you're the one who's been terrorizing my Feenie." Dollie, gave a bitter look at the hooded woman. "What is it that you want from us?"_

"_Shouldn't it be obvious to you guys?" The witch gave a sinister smirk. "I want you, Dahlia Hawthorne…..DEAD!!!"_

_Phoenix took no delay as he stood up gallantly against that tyrant in order to protect his girl. Such an noble act, being courageous and faithful, defending his love one without concern about his own life,....... but at the same time foolish as the __incompetent __boy acted without considering his own (in)abilities._

"_I will not allow you to kill her this time. I'll do what ever it takes to sto- arrrrrggggh"_

"_Such insolence!" La Fey hollered._

_The witch sent a force-wave at Phoenix's stomach, pushing him backwards and slamming him into the tree (déjà vu much?). The boy was rendered unconscious for a brief period._

"_Feenie! Are you al-aaaaaahhh." A paralysis spell prevented Dahlia from reaching Phoenix._

_There was no hope of escape. La Fey had them exactly right where she wanted. _

"_Time for you to die, Ms Hawthorne."_

_Butterflies swooped down from everywhere in the plain. They surrounded and latched on to Dahlia's body. She tried to shake thm off but couldn't as they just stuck to her, fluttering their little wings like the insects they were._

………

_La Fey then went into a battle stance in which spell casters stretch their arms to the front with their palms opened. ………Don't know what it's really called. I'm horrible :(_

_She recited the incantation for the spell._

………

"_Kurain Style: Exploding Butterflies!!!" _

……_._

_One by one, the butterflies detonated, engulfing Dahlia's body in a tremendous tower of fire, burning both her external and internal organs._

_The witch laughed hysterically as she flew out of the scene…_

_Phoenix, who had just recovered, saw what was happening again and helplessly ran towards his flaming girl…_

"_Dollie!"_

"_No, Feenie!" She faced away squinty eyed, making a stop hand at him. "! Don't come any closer! You'll die too!"_

_The boy protested. "But Dollie. You know I can't live without you." _

"_I'm sorry Feenie…….You'll just have to ….. There's no way you can save me now"_

"_Dollie………"_

'_Heh, looks like my sister is finally getting her wish after all' Dahlia thought to herself. She gave Feenie a final, angelic smile before asking him one last request……. _

"_Feenie ……..find my sister……she'll……look after you for me……I……..love…….you." _

_It was her final words before she disappeared into the flames which left nothing of her, no corpes, meat or bones…..all of her body turned to ashes and blew away, scattering around the plain………_

"_Dollie!!!" There was nothing more depressing for Phoenix right now._

_The witch reappeared from behind…_

"_You!!!!" Phoenix glared at the witch, clenching his fist tighter. His heart was now consumed with vengance and hatred. "You B*tch!!!! UAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH" _

_Aggressive as a wild beast, he darted towards her with his right arm held back, then PAWNCHED with all the strength he could muster._

_-but she evaded to the side and grabbed his head….She smashed him face first into the tree trunk (AGAIN) and slashed his legs so that he couldn't move.  
_

_I keep using the word "tree" a lot :(_

"_I'll give you one chance to yield and forget everything about that girl" She said, threatening to crush his skull._

"_NEVER!!!" Even in his current state, he continues to defy her._

"_You may have destroyed her body, or you can even destroy mine, but you shall never destroy our unconditional love for each other. Our bond holds strong and shall never be broken, not even in death."_

_Well said, Phoenix. ......Let's see if you can still remember this little oath of yours in the later chapters. _

"_Pity…You leave me with no choice." La Fey squeezed his head as she casted another spell…._

…………

"_Kurain Style: Mind Shatter"_

…………

_The spell completely broke his mind. He could see the images of his memory of Dahlia being shattered one at a time.  
_

…………**_End of dream_**_…………_

..................

"DOLLIE!!!!"

Phoenix shouted her name as the shock he woke up and forced him to sit up straight….again. These nightmares were becoming more and more painful for poor Feenie.

Come to think of it, something doesn't seem right. He had never known anything about Dahlia having a sister, so there was no way he could have dreamt about it. Also, new information can't be obtained from dreaming…….

The only possible reason was that……._someone must be behind all of this, pulling the strings_…..but whom?

However, this is not the time to be worrying about it……Those piles of books aren't gonna read themselves, ya know.

Still……he will constantly remind himself……..her final request…..

"_Feenie ……..find my sister……she'll……look after you for me"_

A faint smile began to form on his face. Though it became a nightmare in the end, at least he got to spend his time with his ex-girlfriend, just as he did in the past.

"Dollie" He said softly to himself, hugging the bear. "I promise you……..One day I will find your sister ,and I will get to the bottom of this no matter what it takes."

The boy then left his bedside and grabbed one of the books, only looking back to finish his promise.

_.............._

_"…….but right now, there's **someone else** who needs me right now……So, until the day I become a lawyer, please wait for me........Dollie."_

_............_

* * *

**To be continued**

Well I tried my best to make it interesting ..........I didn't intend this to have so much supernatural stuff.…… I'm sorry for the over usage of many words around here.


	7. Chapter 7

**Days of the Apprentice Chapter 7.**

Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I've been kinda busy with my university exams. Let me tell ya I'll be skipping most of the training sessions from now on because It's getting redundant and I need to get to the important stuff.

This chapter is going to be short by the way.

* * *

The skies filled with light mists, blanketing the whole city.

Phoenix's dream from last night was taken as a sign for him to start being more responsible. Finally taking his training more seriously, he spent the rest of his weekend in his room, reading through the heavy, dusty law books that were given to him.

No longer did the boy require time to rest that brain of his, for he had one ultimate goal he desperately needed to achieve as soon as possible……

……..to reunite with his true love once more.

He sat silently by his desk as he slowly turned the pages one by one, glancing through the important concepts of each chapter. The long hours flew by on that sunny day. The breeze from outside circulated through his small bedroom and kept him relaxed while he was studying.

Oh so very boring it was, but he was willing to put up with it. Phoenix didn't complain about all that hardship he will be facing in the rest of the weeks to come. The only thing that mattered to him right now was to become lawyer.

…….Only then can he fulfill his quest.

It was nearly noon and he still hasn't used the bathroom yet. A little tired from long hours of reading, Phoenix yawned and covered his mouth with his right hand.

'Hmm……..' He thought, moving his hand to his chin. The boy paused for a brief moment to think about last night.

'Why am I having so many dreams about Dollie lately?' He wondered. 'I mean I haven't dreamt about her for a few years now. So why now?'

And it was just after his graduation too, right after Mia took him in as her student. All of this couldn't have been just a mere coincidence. That girl is definitely behind this.

Dahlia has never forgotten her anger for that retched defense attorney, Mia Fey. Until now, her soul still remains attached to her earthly bonds. She could not find peace until her revenge has been satisfied.

Having her "beloved boyfriend" remain unsuspicious in enemy territory was her perfect opportunity to get back at Mia. Phoenix was still somewhat loyal to his love, making him easy to manipulate.

She could be doing it right now as we speak……… 0_0

Unfortunately, he had to conclude that this WAS just some random coincidence. The boy highly doubts that his girlfriend was really doing this to him. Phoenix, like any other people, didn't believe in _supernatural powers where souls can communicate with the living_.

Even so, he knew that there was something wrong going on; it's just that there was no way to prove it.

……but we can worry about the matter later in the story. For now let's just get back to his current situation right now.

"I'm gonna do this! I'm gonna study hard and pass that bar exam. I'll do my best to make the chief proud of me." He said with strong determination in his eyes.

Clearing his mind, body and soul, Phoenix took a deep breath and exhaled, then focused his eyes on to the dull text. He continued studying all day and night; preparing himself for whatever questions, assignments or any other tricks the chief might throw at him this Monday.

……….

…**.Meanwhile at Mia's apartment…..**

…………

The chief was just relaxing on the sofa in her bathrobe, reading her daily newspaper and enjoying her usual breakfast of _I'm not gonna tell you what the food is_.

When she was done she lay down and face palmed, not even taking the time to put her crumb-filled plate into the sink and just left it on one of the sofa arms.

Mia wasn't intending to get any work related stuff done this weekend, too worn out from training a pathetic, wimpy, immature kid in the ways of law which used in this world (or for a certain country, at least) , and the fact that he was so slow at learning made it even more difficult for this defense attorney.

"Ughh……He's an idiot." she grumbled "How does this kid even manage to graduate at all?"

Because of this, Mia worried that he wouldn't be able to pass the bar exam. If only there was a way to get him to understand the subject better and be able to apply what he have learned to use in court, .…..She had to come up with something different in supplement of their usual agenda.

The chief slowly slid her legs off the warm furry seat until her feet touched the floor and lifted up her boy in a sitting-up-straight position. She then took the spare time to think about how she could approach this.

What could she do to make him smarter?

"I could make more quizzes and homework so he'll study more" she thought."Perhaps I'll even have to give him some dumbed down versions of the text books, before I get to the hard ones."

Most likely she would have to. Though Phoenix DID study law at Ivy, in the end he still majored in arts due to all of the hassle of changing faculties would cause him to graduate slower than his colleagues.

The chief continues pondering.

Suddenly, she had an idea.

" I could set up a courtroom simulation activity for him."

That's just brilliant. It'll really help him learn to use is knowledge and skills in court. (But in order to use them he'll have to acquire them first.)

The chief decided that she'll have this little activity once or twice every couple of months. As for the rest of his training plan, she went to work on it right away. The only thing she was concerned about right now was Phoenix and his training.

"I promise you. I'll make you a fine lawyer no matter how long it takes." She said into thin air.

* * *

To be continued.


	8. Chapter 8

**Days Of The Apprentice Chapter 8.  
**

**W00T…..Fake Trial coming right up in this chapter!**

**I might not be updating new chapters for a while because I'm getting busy.  
**

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* * *

  
**

Monday finally came round, ending his weekend break. Time to start off another week's worth of training with his new mentor, and like always, the poor boy wasn't all too excited about heading back to the office again. (Oh the agony), and though Phoenix had been doing his studies as he was told, giving up his already limited leisure time to have any fun at all, he was quite worried realizing that the chief could, at a short moment's notice, somehow come up with something unexpected to throw at him.

"Noooooo! I wanna stay home. I WANNA STAY HOME! Uwaaaaaaahhh!!!!!!"

Phoenix sat up and began crying like a little child on his first day at school, in which the parent(s) had a really hard time dragging their children out of bed or getting them to stop hugging the lamp post near by.

But no parent does that to their full grown individual living by him/herself. Any son or daughter would've long been old enough (by the time they've gotten used to school life which would be in a couple months or even a few years) to accept this fact of life that all humans must take up education to survive in an unforgiving world like this.

Seriously! How old are you Phoenix, acting like some spoiled brat?

Eventually he stopped wasting time acting like a crybaby and went to get himself ready to receive his daily torture. The hot steamy water from his shower didn't feel as relaxing as it usually was. His food tasted so plain it like he was eating absolutely noting as he chewed away.

After that, it was time to get going. Carrying with him the quarter pound text books about law and the justice system, he walked from the kitchen across the hall over to his front door, …………which as of last Friday, was no more.

Remember it was HE who destroyed it with his own bare hands, or forehead to be exact.

Phoenix's rage left behind a large hole in his house with nothing to seal it off, a large pile of wood chip fragments laid there to dirty up the place and attract more termites, no insulation from the rain, violent winds or other things in ominous weather and no security from burglars who could come and go when ever they please. He should consider himself lucky that nothing of value was stolen while he was locked up for two days in his small bedroom.

"Ehe, I guess I went a little overboard this time" Said phoenix as he smiled sheepishly while placing his right palm on the back of his neck.

Looking at the state of it now, all broken leaving him unprotected and a pile of termite food with very low salvage value, Phoenix wished he had never lost that key. For now, that hole had to be covered up so at least the house wouldn't be so full of dust and other rubbish, blown from the wind or thrown at by young trouble makers.

He put down his books right there by the doorway, then ran upstairs to get his blanket from his bedroom and some rusty old nails plus a hammer from the storage box in the opposite room. Back downstairs he went. Using his dining chair as a stand, he climbed up and hammered his blanket to the wall above the large, rectangular gap, making some sort of blind out of it. It was the most stupid, idiotic looking excuse of blind anyone as ever seen in their lives, made from soft cotton, colored in light blue which wasn't even transparent. It was so pathetic that the neighbors didn't bother to take notice of it, not even worth the time to laugh at it.

Phoenix is gonna be late if he gets too worked up about the minor details right now. He rushed out of the house which made him knock over the chair. Sticking out his hand, he called to the nearest cab in the area.

"TAXI!" the boy yelled,…but none of them stopped. No cab wanted to go anywhere near Phoenix after seeing that "Door" on his house, thinking he was some kind of freak or something.

"Come on! Come on!" He pleaded. "I don't want to go there by bike again"

Even if he say that, there was no way he could've traveled by bike anyway, since it had been left near by the office building last Tuesday and he didn't even bring it home, so it could be long gone by the time Phoenix decides to look at the last place he left it.

Just as he began to lose hope, a mysterious black cab with thin red decorative lines pulled up right in front of him. The driver rolled down his window revealing your ordinary, chubby, middle-aged man wearing dark glasses and casual cloths, smoking a big fat oriental cigar, listening to old Esperanto songs playing from the radio.

"Where're ya headed, kid?" The driver asked, blowing a large puff of smoke at him.

"I'm going to Fey and Co law offices. Can you take me there?"

"Well, what are you waiting for, kid? Take your stuff and get in already"

Phoenix let out a sigh of relief to find someone finally willing to give him a ride after a whole morning of hand sticking, but one way or another, that door will have to be replaced if he wanted to not get rejected again, though some of them had already remembered this place and greatly reduces Phoenix's chance of going by taxi on more regular days. He stepped inside. The taxi drove off into the busy road, heavily congested by other transportation vehicles in a hurry to get to work on time during the morning rush. It was literally like a mall parking lot, the traffic that is.

The boy sat there and waited anxiously but quietly, staring out of the car window, looking at the tall skyscrapers and pedestrians walking by the footpath to their workplaces. Nothing he could do that would kill time or make the traffic move faster.

"Busted your door kid?" said the driver, trying to break the silence with a friendly small talk. He could tell that there was something bothering the boy right now.

"Yeah. I guess." Phoenix answered with lifeless tone.

"Well that's too bad for ya. Not many taxi drivers are gonna come pick you up like that. You probably should've walked a few blocks away from your house before calling out one of us from the street, ya know."

"You're right. Why didn't I think of that?"

Why? You ask "WHY"?

Let's see……BECAUSE YOU'RE DUMB!

"Hey, don't let it get too ya kid. Us people can't be perfect to think about everything." He gave the boy a bit of encouragement to keep his spirits up. "But that aside, is there something wrong, kid? You look down in the dumps."

"Actually, I'm having a pretty hard time lately." He mumbled "Training to be a lawyer is much more of a pain than I thought."

"Ah. That sounds bad. Wanna talk about it, kid?"

Sure, this mysterious driver was feeling kind of lonely himself, not having many people around to chat with as they didn't care about revealing their personal lives with someone they didn't know. Most passengers only cared about getting to their work places on time, and not many of them are so open about themselves. Phoenix went on about all of the hardship he was facing in order to become a certified defense attorney. It made him feel a little better, but also for the driver.

They kept on exchanging thoughts and experiences until they finally arrived at their destination. The boy reached in his pants pocket for the twenty dollar bill to pay the fare.

"Thanks again for the ride, Mister."

"All in a days work, kid. _I'll be seeing ya again real soon._"

And the mysterious taxi drove off, disappearing in to thin air without anyone noticing. Who in the world was that guy anyway? Why didn't he reject Phoenix like other cabs? It was like he was sent there especially to pick him up.

Once again, it seems that Phoenix had made it just in time, the time being at 7:45 am. He tried to run up to the office but the weight of the books tended to slow him down and caused him to tire more easily. When he finally got to the door, Mia was already in there, organizing some important documents in her file while waiting for him. She watched the little boy as he panted and fell on the ground with the heavy text books crushing down on to his arms.

Mia kneeled down to grab the books and held them there."I hope you've been doing your reading, Phoenix"

"Yeah, I did." He said, face down on the floor.

"Good. Because I have a one hour long quiz, and you'd better get a good score, or else!" She threatened, dropping the whole pile back on to his arms, hurting him even more.

Great. It's a pop quiz and a long one too. Exactly what he needed right now without having other things to be stressed about. Although he had really been studying non-stop during the previous weekend, it didn't make him feel any more confident, nor will it make the quiz easier since he wasn't informed about it in advance. Otherwise, Phoenix would've known which part of the text he should concentrate on, but not this time. No. The first one always has to be the hardest.

**Rules: The quiz will start at exactly 8:00 to 9:00. No books, calculators or any other electronic devices. Any attempts to cheat will receive an automatic beating with a wooden sword. You may leave the test whenever you're finished.**

Phoenix was to sit at the cleared up table in the middle of the office room, with Mia standing right behind him acting as proctor. The only things available to him were a piece of paper (the quiz) turned backed so that he couldn't see the contents, a few old wooden pencils and a cheap eraser which leaves a dirty smudge every time it's used to correct something. The pressure was build up for Phoenix, biting his fingernails, scared about what Mia would do to him if he fails.

"You may take your quiz. ........Wait for it..............NOW!"

At the struck of 8, the test was begun. The quiz paper was flipped over to reveal……. questions with blank spaces. Yes! A written exam! Like most university exams, Mia believed that multiple-choice questions couldn't test the knowledge of the person; rather some luck could've played the part in helping their scores since there will always be at least a slim chance of getting each question right if picked randomly. With written exams, however, there is no room for such luck. Whether the exam taker will do well or poorly is purely dependant on his/her own ability to understand the subject, and its application to any situation.

He quickly skimmed through the questions and found them to be quite difficult. Nonetheless, all of them had the answers in those text books he read, and he can remember his readings so he should do fine. (Yeah right) It was after three minutes of panicking that he managed to pull himself together to do the test. He picked up the pencil and started writing. The chief constantly monitored his every movement to make sure he doesn't fall asleep halfway or try to pull anything.

.................

And so we wait for one whole hour them to finish.

..........Tick Tick Tick. The room was so silent you can easily hear the ticking noise of the clocked. The sound was bothering Phoenix so much he couldn't focus due to the pressure. His shirt was drenched both front and back, from the collar to the lower torso, so wet that it even the sleeves couldn't wipe off the sweat running down his face. Not even the whole box tissues that laid there could help dry him off. His hands became slippery and the boy was losing grip of his pencil. Contacts with the paper surface caused the water to combine with the dirty carbon smudges, messing up the paper even more.

"Time's up! Drop your pencil." She snapped marking the end of his limited time "You can sit and wait here while I check your quiz."

Mia quickly swiped the quiz from the desk, startling Phoenix who was still writing on that piece of paper, then walked into another door inside her office and locked it. The door had never been talked about. A room which was secret to others, yet the entrance is clearly visible in plain sight. No one else except the chief was allowed inside that room. What untold secrets could lay hidden there? While she stayed concealed in there reading through the answers, carefully checking for the slightest mistake in his writing, Phoenix waited outside staring at that door scared about his results, shivering like he was at the North Pole without any cloths on. He knew that if he failed or even don't meet her standards, the consequences could be devastating for him. :(

After about thirty minutes the door opened again and slammed shut. The chief was back, holding the marked quiz paper on her right hand and wearing reading glasses, not that she needed them because of her excellent eyesight, but just to make it look more academic and teacher like. Judgment was at hand. Phoenix munched harder on his fingernails as Mia announced his results.

"Phoenix……" She said, making a really displeased face at him.

"Y-Yes, C-C-Chief." His voice sounded even more nervous. The suspense was literally killing him.

"...........You scored.........."

'Come on. Enough with the drama and end my misery quickly.'

"...........68 out of 100. Not bad for your first time," said Mia in a lightened tone. She took off her spectacles and threw the paper backwards, letting it glide down onto the floor.

For a second there Phoenix nearly had a heart attack. He actually thought she was going to yell at him "You Fail!" or "Your score was unacceptable, and for that you must be punished" then followed up by a series of strikes. Miraculously for him, he did pretty well on that hard quiz, and Mia was quite impressed too. All those two days of studying with no rest has somewhat paid off, saving him even more pain, though he could have scored slightly higher for all that effort.

Phoenix let out a bigger sigh of relief. It felt like a large weight has been lifted off his chest, knowing that he's safe from being severely punished again for today at least, (Or was he?)

"Good job, Phoenix," she complimented. The chief sat down beside the boy and smiled, pleased at his performance. "I see you've been doing your reading as I instructed. You made a few careless mistakes, but all in all you did ok."

"Thanks Chief." He said in delight, feeling much better. "I'm just glad that I passed. I mean the questions were quite hard even though I've been reading non stop."

"Well I did make them hard on purpose you know," said the chief, explaining the reason for the extra difficulty. "I had to make the test that someone who hasn't read the book won't be able to answer the questions even with common knowledge."

"I suppose. But still…," he protested "I believe I could've done better had you told me about the quiz."

"C'mon. Where's the fun in that?" Mia said teasingly.

'Ah….so she's been looking for a chance to punish me in the first place?'

"Anyways. When does training start again?" Phoenix asked uneagerly.

"Well Phoenix..….Since you've been self-studying like I've told you, and you've done so well on the pop quiz today, I'm gonna let you rest for the whole morning. "

"Really? You mean it Chief?"

"Uhm….Consider it a small reward for your obedience."

"Yays! Thanks chief"

..........................................Yays? 0_0

This "small reward" was indeed too small, especially when taking in to account the hours of sleep loss. An adult usually requires a minimum of 8 hours sleep per day. However, during this weekend, Phoenix had been staying up until 3 in the morning and waking up at 6, that's a total sleep loss of 10 hours!! Sure enough, this break won't even provide him with the adequate rest his body needs, but provided the circumstances, it was better than nothing. Phoenix got up from the floor and went to the sofa. He slowly closed his eyes, letting his tiredness over come him in sleep and the wind to dry him off.

……….This time however, Phoenix didn't dream about Dahlia again. The girl visited him after being separated for a long time then left like that? Maybe she was only here to deliver her message.

……It was about half past noon when it was time for Mia to wake the boy from his nap. She gave him a small nudge to the shoulder. "Hey. It's lunch time. Get up." Whispered Mia, into his ear. The boy lifted himself up, stretching his arms out, yawning as he was still feeling sleepy. He then rubbed his eyes with his left thumb and index finger before opening them to see the chief standing beside him, holding a pot of "yummy goodness". Lunch had been ready for about twenty minutes already and it'll get even colder if he continues snoozing. Phoenix had to chow down his food quickly because Mia still had big plans for him today. There was no time to spare. The trial simulation that the chief had been working so hard preparing for was now ready, awaiting the new challenger to arrive and participate.

"Come on, Phoenix! We have to go." she suddenly spoke from right out of the blue. Grabbing his arm tight, Mia dragged him out of the office and into her shiny black Mercedez which was parked near the building. Phoenix had to run quickly to catch up so he wouldn't fall. She threw him head first into the back seat, once again hardly that his head banged against the other door.

"Oww! Why'd you do that chief?" he wined, rubbing his poor head. She didn't reply and just put the motor into gear. The boy seemed confused to why she's taking him somewhere this hour. It's still during their training hours so aren't they supposed to remain at the office? "W-Where are we going, chief? I thought we were gonna train." He asked.

"Not today Phoenix" She answered. "I have a something special in stored for you today."

"Something special? What is it, Chief?" Phoenix asked, hoping for it was something he likes such as ice-cream.

"Oh. It's an activity to supplement your training. It will help you develop your logical deduction skills and put them to practice for your experience."

The car drove on until they've reached the district courthouse. At the moment he set foot into the building, his mind began to fill with memories. It all looked so familiar to him; not surprisingly of course as it was the very same courthouse Phoenix's murder trial was held in, which he would've falsely gotten the guilty verdict had there been an absence of a highly skilled defense attorney. Also the same one they went to after picking him up from Ivy on their first day, but somehow he failed to notice that fact until the second time they came here.

"This place…It's like I've been here before."

"Oh, come on. Your memory isn't that short right? We came here last week remember? Geez," she rolled her eyes.

"No. I mean I remember coming here a few years back…….My trial."

"Yes, I remember it. You were accused of murdering a fellow colleague. Doug Swallow was it? Good thing I was there to fish out the real killer-*cough*" Mia pause as she nearly choked trying to get that name out of her mouth.

"……_Dahlia Hawthorne_. Had Mr. Grossberg been your lawyer that day, she might've gotten away and you would've taken the punishment for what SHE did. You should consider yourself fortunate you had me, Phoenix."

"And I'm grateful for that, Chief. Even so…… " Then he quickly turned away. His facial expression filled with grief as thoughts about his haunting past slowly crept back into his mind. "…It's all still a big shock to me. This girl, the one who I love, she really tried to kill me. She never loved me in the first place, did she chief? I wanted to believe in her but I……I…I..." He was unable to finish that sentence. His eyes began to swell up; a tear drop ran down his cheek and dripped onto his shirt. At least he managed to take it like a man this time, and held in his urge to burst out crying like he always does.

"Oh Phoenix…." Mia placed her hand on his shoulder, patting him. She felt sympathetic, understanding how he feels.

"You're not the only one. That girl has caused hurt and discomfort to everyone involved in her life. I'm on of them too. _In this very courthouse,_ _before I met you, she did something really horrible to me_. "

"How so, chief?" he wondered. "What was it that Dahlia did to you?"

"T-That's-"

Alas, the chief couldn't spit it out. Like her apprentice, it was painful for her too. Dahlia had robbed the life of _someone who was special to Mia._ She didn't want to talk about it. Not here, not now, and unless compelled to do so, probably not ever. In an attempt to avoid the question, she quickly came up with a cliché excuse to change the subject."I-It's best if we not discuss it right now. We have more important things to do today." Then she gave a weak smile to lighten his mood, and keep his spirits up. "Besides, it'll ruin the fun of the activity I had planned for you today."

The chief was enthusiastic about getting him to do this trial simulation thingy.

…….

**March XX, 2015. District Court. Courtroom no 2.**

"Here we are Phoenix. This is where we'll be conducting this activity"

Phoenix's glanced across the room and to his surpise there was absolutely no one there! The court room was completely empty with on signs of alteration to the scene such as added props or stuff.

"What? There's nothing here."

"Exactly, Phoenix."

Lulwat? I thought you had prepared everything out for this activity, yet it looks like you've done nothing……

"Patience…..they should be here any moment now." She stared at her watch, counting the seconds ticking away.

"HEY!!!! Sorry we're late!" A voice yelled from the entrance. Who could that be?

Three men walked into the room. The first man was bald and elderly, his body looked tall, bulky and intimidating like that of a gruesome giant. He wore a black flowing robe and wielded in his right hand a wooden gavel, which when struck can silence the loudest of crowds or hand down verdicts. Frightening, this man can be at times, but once you've stood in court for a few trials you will see how fair his judgment really is.

The second man wore a darkly colored suit with a tie to match it. He appeared to be highly skilled, deceptive and cunning, full of dirty tricks up his sleeve and not to be trusted so easily. His goal in court is to get the guilty verdict by any means necessary. These people are known to tamper with the evidence or forge it themselves, and they do it so neatly that no one is able detect them. Innocent people were given unfair verdicts just because of these selfish maniacs, consumed by the sin of pride, doing their jobs not for justice but to achieve a perfect record like it was some kind of trophy.

The third man was unique. Unlike the other two, he wore casual clothes and looked out of shape. Accused of murder or some other serious crime in which he didn't commit, or maybe he did it we don't know. Whether he is to be acquitted and walk away free, or face lifetime of punishment perhaps even a death sentence, rest in the hands of his defense attorney who can do nothing but counter the prosecution's argument and believe in his client till the bitter end.

And with that, the simulation was ready. Every one went to their assigned positions. The players in the trial were complete…or so it seems. Judge, Prosecutor, Defense and Defendant. One was definitely missing from this picture and we can't have a trial without at least one of this kind of people, because their presence in court is significant.

Mia gave phoenix a small tutorial /briefing prior to the activity.

"Phoenix, I'm sure you know how this court room system works right?"

"Yes chief. We have the guy who constantly bangs the gavel, the suspect namely our client, the person in the opposite desk who objects to our arguments and us the defense attorneys."

"Correct! But can you tell me who's missing right now?"

"Wha? There's someone missing here?"

"Of course there is. Without this person, we basically have no information to work on. Think."

'Hmm…who could this last person be?' He worked his brain trying to figure out who this last person was.

"The people who saw what happened at the crime scene?" he took a wild guess.

"Bingo! They're called witnesses. Obviously they're not here at the moment, but they'll be summoned into the courtroom later on. They play a crucial role in court by providing us with the information we need to establish the culprit, which is usually one of them so it's our job to call them to the stand and expose the lies in their testimony."

"They can lie? I thought every on the stand are under oath."

"They are, but that doesn't mean they'll always do as they have sworn. Remember, you lied to me too on your trial."

"Ok ok. So how can we tell if they're lying?"

"I think you can probably get this one from what you showed me last Friday, but I'm gonna tell you anyway. If a witness is lying, a part of their statement will contradict with the evidence we have. The evidence including profiles of everyone involved in the case can be found in the **Court Record**. During your cross-examination, you have to pick the evidence to **_present_** and the statement to object to. Choose carefully and be sure that what you're doing makes sense; otherwise the judge will give youa _penalty _for badgering the witness. If you get too many penalties in one trial you automatically lose the trial so be extremely careful."

"Right! I'll try to be as careful I can chief."

"Finally, if you think the witness isn't providing you enough to work on, you can always **_press_** them for more information." She finished. "Are you all set?"

"I'm ready chief!"

"Then let's begin. Shall we?"

The screen turned black like in a game before a battle …… Here's where the story get's less descriptive and more dialougue.

Here's a list of evidence and profiles in the court record.

**Evidence**

-**Attorney's badge**: A replica just for the sake of it being in the court record..

- **Victor's Autopsy report**:

[Time of death: Date 5/14 Around 10am – 11am, Cause of death: A single stab in the forehead, death was instant. Murder weapon found stuck in the forehead.]

-**Ornament Knife**: Murder weapon containing victim's blood. Finger prints unknown.

**Profile**

-**Phoenix**** Wright**: A rookie attorney. Has just started training to become a lawyer.

-**Mia Fey**: Senior attorney and mentor of Phoenix. She's a real pro at doing this.

-**Richard Hertz**: Average Prosecutor. Not as arrogant as Payne but their skills are about the same.

-**Victor Timothy**: The victim, owner of "Red Tiki" pawnshop which sells rare trinkets and artifacts.

-**Haoya Dewin**: The defendant, a regular customer at Red Tiki.

-**Diddy Kellim**: The witness. A local street bum. He has no relationship with victim or defendant.

Ok let the trial commence.

………..

Grumble grumble grumble. No crowd to grumble in this simulation. Who would have the incentive to come to a fake one which has no importance to them anyway? Instead, a cassette player was being played from behind one of the seats to mimic the loud noise.

*BANG* The judge struck his gavel loudly in formality to get the trial started.

"Court is now in session."

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

"The defense…….is …..um….ready, Your Honor." It was Phoenix's first time doing real defense work. His hands were shaking and eyesight fading.

The Judge turned his attention to the young attorney in-training. "Mr. Wright. There's no need to feel so nervous. This is only a trial simulation, so try no to get too worked up about it. Nonetheless, I expect you to take this training seriously if you want to succeed at being a real lawyer."

"Thank you, Your Honor. I'll try my best."

"Hmm…I think we should have a little test to see whether you're up to it. Answer my questions clearly and correctly. What is the name of the defendant?"

"Phoenix." Mia interrupted. "Take a look inside the court record. It contains all the answers you'll need in the trial."

"Time's up. Now let's hear your answer." The judge ordered.

"It's….um…. Haoya Dewin, Your Honor."

"Correct. Now what is the name of the Victim and what is the cause of her death"

"His name is 'Vic Tim', your honor, and he was killed by a single stab in the forehead." *snap* "Yeowch!"

"Phoenix! That is not how you address the victim's name." Mia scolded. "I know there are a lot of pun names in the series, but you can't just try to make them sound funny by calling them that way."

"Correct. You've answered all my questions. I see no reason why we shouldn't proceed. You seem ready enough, Mr. Wright, but next time please state the victim's name more appropriately."

"My apologies, Your Honor."

"Let's continue with the trial. Mr. Hertz? Please explain to the court what this murder weapon used to stab the victim was."

"The murder weapon was this rare ornament knife. A fine craftsmanship don't you say? It was found still stuck inside the victim's head. Our lab results confirmed that the fingerprints on the handle belonged to the defendant. It was bought from the same shop a few days ago. Blood from the victim was found."

"I see………The court accepts this into evidence"

Update

-**Ornament Knife**: Murder weapon containing victim's blood. Belonged to the defendant and covered in his finger prints.

"Your Honor," The prosecutor added. "..We've also found this bloodstained woolen glove, and a broken clock lying on the ground next to the witness."

Update

-**Woolen Glove**: (Light Green) Left at the crime scene. Contains two types of blood, one of them is the victim's.

-**Broken Clock**: Found lying faced down next to the victim. The handle says 9:25.

"Mr. Hertz, the prosecution may call its first witness." The judge proceeded.

"The prosecution would like to call the defendant, Haoya Dewin, to the stand."

Phoenix asked the chief for instructions. "Um, Chief, What do I do?"

"Pay attention. You want to gather every piece of information that will help your client's case. You'll get your chance to respond to the prosecution later, so listen carefully."

Haoya slowly walked up to the stand in the center of the room. His were palms were sweating, fear that he'll be sentenced to death. These people must be really good actors to make the atmosphere of the simulation look so real.

"Name and occupation, please." The prosecutor asked.

"I'm a tribal enthusiast who collects rare and expensive artifacts. Haoya Dewin!" For some reason he had to state his occupation first.

The Judge took that as something different. "Oh I'm quite fine thanks." He responded to the defendant.

"Umm, Your Honor, he's not making an informal greeting. That's his name. Hao-ya-Dew-in"

"Oh! I'm sorry ." the judge apologized.

Mia face palmed. 'Stupid witnesses and their pun names' she cursed in her mind. '_Who the hell writes this tedious, rushed up piece of crap anyway_?'

The prosecutor began his opening argument. "Mr. Dewin, is it not true that you regularly buy expensive trinkets from Mr. Timothy's store?"

"Yeah, It's true. You see, I love collecting rare genuine trinkets and that store is the closest to where I live."

"And is it not true that he has been ripping you off with fake ones these past few months?"

"W- W How do you know that?" The defendant bit his lip.

"I was informed by one of your friends that you've been having trouble with Mr. Timothy. Plus I've received word from your appraiser that you've been sending him forged trinkets. He robbed you of your money."

"Ack! That maybe so, b-but I wouldn't go around killing someone just for that." He explained.

"That maybe the case for most people, however, the amount of money you've lost was quite huge. According to the receipts we've gathered from your house, your total spending for last month was more than five million dollars. That's quite a lot to just leave it be don't you think?" Hertz paused. "But let's hear your testimony first. After all, we can't just go around judging your outcome without looking at the facts. The accused, no matter how guilty he is, always deserves a fair trial. "

"Indeed." The judge nodded in agreement with Mr. Hertz, then looked at the defendant. "Mr. Dewin, please testify about what happened and your whereabouts on the day of the murder."

Witness Testimony. What Happened?

_"I went to the Red Tiki yesterday at around 9:40 am." _

_"I had to make a deal with Vic to refund my latest items." _

_"He wouldn't let me though and we got into a bit of a fight." _

_"In the end, I couldn't stand it anymore so I just walked away from the store." _

End Testimony

"Hmm….so you're claiming that you had nothing to do with the murder incident."

"It's true. He was still alive and well when I left the store. You gotta believe me."

"Well then Mr. Wright. The defense may cross examine the witness."

"Cross examination, Your Honor?"

"Alright, Wright this is the real deal. Time to expose the contradictions in his testimony."

"We're supposed to do THAT to the defendant!?!" Phoenix asked in bewilderment. "B-but I thought that we were supposed to defend him."

"Of course you are. But just because he is innocent doesn't mean he is telling the truth. Most defendants think if they told the truth, it will damage their when in reality it's a crucial piece of evidence that could help them win the acquittal."

"Um….how do I do this again?" The boy had already forgotten what to do.

"Sigh……I'll explain this shortly so you can understand. First, you compare the testimony to the evidence at hand. Then, find the evidence that contradicts the testimony and then present it at the right statement. Think logically and carefully before you decide to do so. You can always press for more info. Got it?"

"Got it, Chief."

Cross examination

**_"I went to the Red Tiki yesterday at around 9:40 am."_**

HOLD IT!

"What was your business going there in the first place?" Phoenix asked.

"I'm getting to that! Please wait a moment."

"He's right Mr, Wright." The Judge told him. "Questions like these are irrelevant unless the reason isn't already stated in the testimony."

"Ah! Excuse me for the interruption. Please continue, Mr Dewin."

**_"I had to make a deal with Vic to refund my latest items."_**

HOLD IT!

"The items you say? Tell me exactly what it was that you wanted refunded."

"Well. Mostly the stuff I've bought in the last few months. It was only up until then that I began to suspect they were forgeries."

"I see. Did you bring anything in particular to the store with you that day?"

"Nope. It was only a verbal agreement to have them returned, so there was no need for me to take my stuff back to the store."

"Mr. Wright. Do you think this statement is important?" the judge asked.

Phoenix pondered for a moment. 'Hmm….This statement seems too important for me to leave it.' *Desk slam* "I say it's very important, Your Honor. The defense request that this statement be added to the testimony."

"Request Granted."

**_"There was no need for me to bring anything back to the store, so I didn't."_**

HOLD IT!

"Are you really really sure you didn't br-"

OBJECTION! The prosecutor shouted. "That question is irrelevant to the case at hand. I can understand this is your first time as a defense attorney, but if this were a real trial, you'd be penalized for badgering the witness."

"AACK…" Phoenix was sweating again, but then noticed he was trying to hide something.

('Hmm. There appears to be something wrong with this statement, and that prosecutor seemed pretty quick to shut me up. I wonder if I have any evidence to support my assumption.')

**_"He wouldn't let me though and we got into a bit of a fight."_**

HOLD IT!

"Just how long did the two you fight?"

"About twenty-five minutes or so. Typical."

"And how violent did it get? Was there any bloodshed at all?"

"I have to admit, it did get kinda unpleasant after a while. We began using stronger swear words at each other." Then realizing that he was still in trouble, he tried to explain himself. "But I didn't kill him! Honest! Because……"

**_"In the end, I couldn't stand it anymore so I just walked away from the store." _**

HOLD IT!

"So you just left the store like that? Without saying another word to him?"

"Actually when we ended the fight, my last words were that I was never gonna come back to his store again, and that I was gonna sue him for what he's got."

"Exactly what time did you leave the store?"

"I think it was about 10:05" Gasp "That puts me in the time span of the murder, right?"

"I'm afraid it does, Witness."

"No, Wait, Listen! I can assure you that he was still alive when I left, because I heard him yell at me…. 'Curse you Haoya! You'll never find another genuine trinket store in this town!' ….ant that was the last time I heard his voice."

That was the end of the testimony, yet Phoenix still couldn't find it. He turned for help from his mentor. "Chief, what am I gonna do? His testimony seems pretty solid."

"Don't be so sure about that! I can spot a really large contradiction in one of his statement. Look closer and you will see. Read the testimony again if you have to, but I think you've already got this one figured out"

'Ya think? Because I have no idea what you're talking about.'

**_"I went to the Red Ti-"_**

**_"I had to make a de-"_**

**_"There was no need for me to bring anything back to the store, so I didn't."_**

OBJECTION!

Phoenix slammed his desk loudly. "Mr. Dewin, I believe there's some inconsistency with your statement."

"Really? How so?" He questioned.

The **Ornament Knife** was shown to the court.

"May I direct the court's attention to this knife? This knife was the murder weapon used to kill Mr. Timothy. It was bought from Red Tiki a few days ago by Mr. Dewin himself. So my question is this. If the defendant did go the store empty handed,-"

Finger Point!

"-THEN HOW DID THE KNIFE END UP BACK AT THE STORE?"

"AAACCKK!"

"Nice work, Phoenix. You've just spotted your very first contradiction."

"Well Mr. Dewin? Would you care to explain how your knife got to the store when it should currently be in your possession?"

"I-I. Alright I confess. I did bring that knife to be refunded."

"You see, Your Honor? This man has the word guilty written all over his face."

"OBJECTION! We've only proven that he brought the murder weapon back to the store. We still don't know who really used it." Phoenix countered, then turned back to the witness. "Mr. Dewin. Why did you conceal the truth from us?"

"If had told you I brought the knife there, you'll all think that I'm the true killer."

"Please, Mr. Dewin. If you want us to be able to defend your actions, you'll have to tell us what really happened," he persuaded.

"..............Very well. I left the knife there at the store. About 15 minutes after I left, I realized that I had forgotten my wallet there, so I ran back to the store, only to find Vic already dead. It was such horrible sight. The corpse was just sitting there in front of me with the knife in his forehead, there was blood running down from his face, his eyes so cold and lifeless. When I went out to call the police, they were already there and arrested me on the spot. By the way, my wallet was also gone from the scene. That's all I know."

"Well obviously the defendant is lying." the prosecutor insisted.

"OBJECTION! You can't prove that."

"Hmph! What more do we have to prove about him? Even if he were to testify again it won't yield any new facts." "Your, Honor, I have an eye witness who claims to have seen the whole murder. He can prove that the defendant, Haoya Dewin, is lying."

"Who is your witness, Mr Hertz?" the judge asked.

"The prosecution calls Mr. Diddy Kellim to the stand."

The witness finally showed up. He came in from the main entrance of the courtroom dressed even sloppier than the defendant. The sweater he wore was tattered and torn; the glove on his left hand had holes at the finger tips. His hair was messed up and filled with lice; his odor was revolting like he had been rotting in the dumpster for ages.

"Witness, please state your name and occupation."

"My name's Diddy Kellim. Occupation? Don't got one. I live on the streets, looking for food in garbage cans and using newspapers for a blanket."

"Mr. Kellim, you may proceed with your testimony. Pleas tell the court what happened on the day of the murder."

Witness Testimony: What I saw.

_"I live on the park bench under the tree on the other side of the road."_

_"I was_ _on my way back from my morning walk, when I saw the defendant holding a knife into the store" _

_"I can clearly see signs of struggling in the shop." _

_"The defendant pulled up his knife and stabbed him." _

_"Then he walked away with the bloody knife in his hand."_

_"I called 911 as soon as I can, and then he was arrested when he returned to the shop."_

End of Testimony.

"Mr. Wright, you may cross examine the witness."

Cross examination

**_"I live on the park bench under the tree on the other side of the road."_**

HOLD IT!

"How long have you been living there?"

"A few years, ever since I went bankrupt. When the government came and took my house, I had no choice but to hit the streets."

"Sounds tough. So why did you choose the park just opposite the store?"

"OBJECTION! The witness's personal life has no relevance what so ever to the case at hand!"

"Objection sustained. Witness, please continue."

"**_I was_** **_on my way back from my morning walk, when I saw the defendant holding a knife into the store."_**

(Nothing wrong here)

**_"I can clearly see signs of struggling in the shop."_**

HOLD IT!

"How did you manage to see them, if I may ask?"

"The shop had large glass windows, displaying all the items on sale inside. There's no way I couldn't have seen it at that short distance."

"Hmm…Very good. And what happened next?"

**"The defendant pulled up his knife and stabbed him."**

HOLD IT!

"Are you really certain that's what he did?"

"I saw what I saw Ok? He gave him one blow to the head and it was all over."

"Really? Because I find that hard to beli-"

"OBJECTION. The witness isn't blind! He can clearly see what is going on inside that shop. Stop badgering the witness unless you have some decisive evidence."

'Aw man….Guess I can't get around that. Best if I move on.'

**"Then he walked away with the bloody knife in his hand."**

(Does this contradict with any of the evidence I hold, *picks*)

OBJECTION!

Phoenix gave a confident look at the witness who tripped on in his own words. "It seems that you haven't been paying attention to the crime scene after all."

"Watch it sonny!" Feeling insulted by that remark, the witness yelled back at in anger. "Just on what basis do you claim something like that?"

"In your Testimony, You said that my client came walking out with a knife in his hand. However, according to the autopsy report, the body was found with the knife stuck in the head. That's a clear contradiction with the evidence!"

"W-What!? Impossible!" the witness exclaimed

"There was no way my client could've walked with his knife if it was still on the body. How do you explain that, Witness?"

"!!!! Oh Err... I-I"

"OBJECTION!" Hertz screamed. "The witness must have mistaken it for some other object."

Phoenix shook his head. "I'm sorry Mr. Hertz but that's impossible. If the defendant were holding anything other than the murder weapon, it wouldn't have any bloodstains for the witness to see."

"The defense has a point. Do you have an explanation for this?"

"Err……um….Wait! I remember! He really wasn't holding anything when he came out. I must have been so shocked that I made a mistake." The witness fibbed.

"Mr. Killem. You should try to be more accurate on your testimonies; otherwise your credibility could be harmed." The Judge warned, looking sterner at him.

"I'm sorry, Your Honor. I'll try to be more careful."

"Very well, Mr. Killem. Let's continue with your testimony."

Witness Testimony: What I really saw.

_"Ok, so it's true that he didn't come out of there with the weapon."_

_"But I really did see him kill the victim right in front of my eyes!"_

_"And the defendant probably went back inside to clean up the crime scene"_

_"I can even remember the time. It was 9:25 am when it all happened."_

_"No doubt about it! This guy is the true killer."_

End of Testimony

The Judge blinked. "That's quite different from what you told us, Mr. Killem"

"Phoenix, we've finally got the guy pinned down. His story is falling apart. It shouldn't be hard to spot the obvious contradiction in this testimony."

(Yes I think I can see it too)

Cross Examination.

**_"Ok, so it's true that he didn't come out of there with the weapon."_**

HOLD IT!

*Deskslam* "You're darn right he didn't."

"Mr. Wright! You don't have to rub it in his face like that. The witness has already accepted his mistake."

"Oh. Sorry, Your Honor. (Just why did I decide to press him on this statement in the first place again?)"

**_"But I really did see him kill the victim right in front of my eyes!"_**

HOLD IT!

"I'm not convinced that you're not making another mistake."

"Dude! I can see the defendant clearly in there. For I can tell he was attacking the victim at some point. I'm not changing what I said!"

"OK I get it! (He's lying, but I can't prove it in this statement) "

**_"And the defendant probably went back inside to clean up the crime scene"_**

HOLD IT!

"The defendant had just testified for us that he went back because he dropped his wallet."

"OBJECTION! Even if that were true, it changes nothing! It doesn't prove that the defendant didn't kill the victim."

"ACCK, (He's right.)"

"If you would kindly stop badgering the witness for once, we can get this trial moving already."

**_"I can even remember the time. It was 9:25 am when it all happened."_**

Pick Pick Pick….**Autopsy Report**

OBJECTION!

*Deskslam* "There's an obvious contradiction with the facts right there!"

Though it was true, the judge somehow couldn't see it at all. "*Blink* No there isn't, Mr Wright! Baseless conjectures like this would have cost you dearly in a real trial."

"W-What!?!" Phoenix reeled back. "I could've sworn I picked the right evidence at the right statement."

"I don't blame you for this one, Phoenix. You were on the right track."

"I was? But the judge didn't even give me a chance to explain myself."

The chief looked at Phoenix's troubled expression. She explained this little "trick" in the courtroom system.

"Sadly in Ace Attorney, _even if you can a whole bunch of contradictions in one testimony alone, the game will want you to pick the one certain statement_, so it can be pretty unpredictable at times_._ Also, evidence that has already been presented once will most likely not be accepted if presented for a second time. Here's what you should do. Press every statement in the testimony unless the judge says he will penalize you for unnecessary pressing. Then you can present the evidence on your second read through. Many times you'll have the option to press further into the witness's statement which may be your only key to victory. Be warned that if it get's to dangerous and you feel like you can't back it up, leave it alone and resume your cross examination."

"No wonder it seemed so weird to me. Thanks Chief. I think I know what to do from here."

**_"I can even remember the time. It was 9:25 am when it all happened."_**

HOLD IT

"The autopsy report clearly states that the time of death was somewhere after 10 am. What's more, the defendant hadn't even arrived at the crime scene at that time."

"Oh You're right!" The judge realized his mistake.

"OBJECTION! The witness merely forgot the time. He wasn't wearing a watch and there were no clocks around that area."

Phoenix responded to Mr. Hertz's argument with pride. "I don't think so, Mr. Hertz. I strongly believe that the witness was exactly sure about his time."

"Well, Mr. Wright. Do you have any evidence to support your claim?"

(Can I prove how the witness knows the exact time he thinks the murder happened?)

"I can prove it your honor."

"Let's here it then. Show to the court why the witness was so certain about his time?"

TAKE THAT!

"Mr. Hertz. Do you remember the clock you gave us as evidence?"

"Why of course. Mr. Wright. What do you take me for?"

"Then please look at the handle and tell us what the time is?"

" Let's see. The time says……..GNRRK"

"Well, Mr Hertz?" Phoenix rested his hands on his waist, smiling confidently with his eyebrows squinted. "What time does it say, according to this clock?"

"I-I-It's…………." *Pursuit~Cornered 2001 starts playing* "IT'S 9:25, YOUR HONOR!"

"N…..Nggggaaarrrrrrrkkkkkkk" growled the witness.

The epic music continues playing throughout the court room. Never really understanding what it meant, Phoenix asked Mia about the music.

"Chief, what's this music? Why do I suddenly feel a strong sense of winning?"

"That's the Pursuit theme for you, Phoenix."

"P-Pursuit Theme, Chief?" He asked.

"Yes. Once you've got your witness pinned down with a decisive piece of evidence, this theme song will start playing, showing that you're close to achieving victory."

"I think I've heard a theme like this before. Only It sounded a little different than this."

"You mean the one in your trial? That would be my theme 'Pursuit~ Caught'. Every defense attorney has their own signature Pursuit Themes." She explained "I'll tell you more about it later. You've come this far almost won, now it's time for you to finish it!"

"OBJECTION!" Hertz yelled. " The clock must have been hanging outside the store."

"I'm afraid that argument of yours won't hold, . After all, wasn't it YOU who told us that the clock was lying on the floor nest to the victim? Your chief investigator can verify that."

"That's right, . Objection overruled!" the judge declared.

"A-Ack!" Unable to counter, the prosecutor was sweating for the very first time."

"Your, Honor. Think I finally have enough evidence to wrap up this trial and establish who the real killer is"

"You do? Then tell us, and you'd better not make any false accusation here!"

"The true culprit who murdered Mr. Timothy and framed my client was none other than……"

Profile, Pick Pick Pick….

TAKE THAT!

"It was you…" The defense attorney shouted, pointing his finger at the witness's face. "Mr. Kellim!"

"PROPSTEROUS! This is pure NONSENSE I tell ya!"

"Oh is it, Mr Kellim?"

"You and your baseless conjectures, you can't even prove that I went into the store."

"Ah, but I believe I can. Remember the defendant's testimony? He said he went back because he dropped his wallet, but it was already gone. I believe that if we searched through your body, we'll definitely find that missing wallet!"

"GNRK!" the witness grunted.

"Your Honor, The defense would like to request a full body search of the witness"

"Granted! Bailiff! Search the witness!…." the judge ordered.

Mr. Kellim's body was search thoroughly. The bailiff moved his hands in every nook and cranny until he felt something in a rectangular shape inside his coat.

"Sir! We've found the wallet, and it has Mr. Dewin's ID card inside!"

"I think the motive should be clear in this one. As Mr. Kellim testified for us earlier, he's been living on the streets due to bankruptcy. He probably couldn't stand living in poverty anymore and decided to do something about it. He is nothing more than a common thief!

"Bah!" The witness shouted. (Music turns into a scary suspenseful one.) "So what if I did go into that store? So what if I had a motive? You have no decisive proof that I was the one who murdered him. Without it you have no case."

"I'm afraid the witness is right, Mr. Wright. If have any evidence to back up your accusation, present it now"

There was only one evidence left that had to be presented. The final nail in the coffin which will seal Kellim's fate and save Dewin from life in prison. Phoenix has got to do this one right if he is to win this.

TAKE THAT! (Music stops)

Phoenix noticed the witness's glove on his left hand. "Mr. Kellim, that's a fine looking glove you have there."

"Why yes. I got it from a dumpster nearby. It's amazing to see what people would throw out these days. Light green happens to be my favorite color too."

"Light green you say? You mean like this bloody one I have here?"

(Pursuit ~ Cornered variation starts playing)

"Ack! W-Where the hell did you find that?"

"Actually, it's this prosecutor here who should take credit for this. It was found right next to the body in the store."

"Dammit!" The prosecutor slammed his fist on the desk. "Who would've thought I dug my own grave finding that."

"Your Honor, Let me explain to the court what I think really happened that day."

"Interesting, Mr. Wright. You will tell the court the events which took place on the day of the murder."

"Gladly," agreed Phoenix. "On the day of the murder, my client was headed to the Red Tiki. He arrived at the scene at 9:40 and left at 10:05. During that time my client had an argument with the victim about whether the items will be refunded or not. The fight got violent but didn't end up in any bloodshed. Mr. Dewin left the store in anger, unwittingly leaving behind his knife which contained his finger own prints behind. After he left, YOU, Mr Kellim, who had been sneak-peeking on them, walked into the store and picked up the knife. You gave him a fatal stab to the forehead. In the process you must have been injured somewhere so you wiped your blood on the glove and discarded it. Finally, you called the police, waiting for my client to return to the scene to be arrested for what you did. "

"OBJECTION!" Hertz yelled. Desperately wanting to win this, the prosecutor attempted one last shot to steer the court away from the truth. "That glove could've belonged to the defendant. He used it to hold the knife thinking that he wouldn't leave any finger prints."

"OBJECTION! Why would he needed to do that? The murder weapon was already full of his prints anyway so It wouldn't make sense for him to try hiding them." Phoenix easily countered that one.

Kellim wasn't gonna give up either. It was his life on the line. "But just what makes you think that glove is mine? There could be many other gloves like this, color, size and shape. Face it! You've lost."

Phoenix didn't even flinch to that threat; there was still another way to prove who the glove belonged to. "I doesn't matter as there's only one thing I need from that glove. Your DNA signature. We've already identified one type of blood on the glove which belongs to the victim. If we have the lab analyze the results.....then we can tell exactly who the real killer is!"

"........Y-You ........W-Won't......" The witness was cornered now. Signs of him breaking down were begging to show. "It was HIM!!! DEWIN killed the victim. HIM I TELL YA!!! NOT ME!!!"

...................

"There's no way you can run from this Mr. Diddy Kellim (Did he kill him)……or should I say…… 'Yes he did' Kellim. "

..................The room became filled with silence as everyone became shocked in awe………

...............

"GRRRRRRRRRRRR YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!! YOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUU!!!!"

The demonic roar scared the crap of poor Phoenix, who went to hide under his desk, shaking.

"!!! YOUUUUUUUUUU" Kellim then stopped growling and spoke in a more formal manner. "You did it. You have successfully solved the case in this simulation trial. Congratulations, Mr. Wright!"

"Huh?" The boy peeked up a little.

"Well done, Mr. Wright." The Judge praised. "An excellent job I must say. You are now one step further into achieving your dream as a defense attorney."

"Gee thanks everyone," he replied, smiling sheepishly.

"Now this is just for a formality, but I hereby declare the defendant, Mr Haoya Dewin…."

NOT GUILTY

"Court is adjourned."

BANG!

"Alright boys. Take five. Let's wrap this up and go home already," said the guy acting defendant.

.................

The three actors and the judge packed up their personal stuff then left the courtroom ready to head home, their work was done here. On the other hand, Phoenix and Mia were still sitting around alone in the empty defense lobby. The chief had a little praising of here own to do before they went back to the office. She was especially satisfied at how Phoenix performed and handled the situation in the courtroom today.

"How did I do, Chief?" asked Phoenix, needing to know whether he has met her standards.

Mia replied, giving him a smile. "You were great back there, Phoenix. A few minor mistakes but you managed to overcome your obstacles and win the trial. I can finally be assured that you'll have a good chance of passing that bar exam."

"? Thanks, Chief." He said happily.

And now it's the boy's turn to comment on the activity. The chief also wanted to hear it from him. "So, what do you think about my Trial simulation activity I set up for you?"

"I really had fun in there, Chief. But the same time I feel like I've learned more about what a lawyer does."

"Well that's the main purpose of it all isn't it?" She asked. "Now let's call it a day and go out for ice-cream, my treat."

"YAYS!" 0_0

..................

_Gleaming rays of light shined into the shadowy hallway as Mia opened the large doors which stand in their way. A small flock of birds flew by, chirping their pleasant songs in this late afternoon sky. The two exited from the courthouse, down white marble steps on to the cement path, heading their way to the nearest gelato shop in the district. This was probably their first time they actually got to enjoy spending time with each other, without having to worry about their training. While they were still moving, Phoenix suddenly felt a warm feeling from inside his body; one which he had not experience in such long time. Was it just the sun, or perhaps something else?_

_He turned his head to the side__ a little__, gazing at Mia who kept her eyes straight forward. A small dash of red formed on the side of his cheeks, blushing slightly.  
_

_'Why in the world am I feeling like this?' wondered Phoenix. It's not like he's developing a crush on her or anything, rather a warm fuzzy feeling of kindness and friendship. Still, it can make one's heart race. He got so caught up in his thoughts that he accidentally slipped out her name. _

_"........Mia."  
_

_"Hmm?"_

_"O-Oh! It's nothing!" He panicked and quickly faced in the opposite direction, avoiding any further eye contact. "Lets just hurry to that Ice-cream shop before it closes." _

_............The chief smiled lightly  
_

* * *

**To be continued……**

**Well I tried to be descriptive as possible but this is getting harder than I thought. Same words are used multiple times. Please review.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Days Of The Apprentice Chapter 9.**

**Sorry that it's been delayed for like months. I've been really busy due to university. **

**Seems like I'm the only one here left who supports the Phoenix/Mia pairing. I won't let the boundary known as "canon" get in my way. **

**

* * *

**

Eight months had passed since their trial simulation incident. Eight months under the roof of Fey & Co law offices. So far, Phoenix had been doing remarkably in his training sessions with the all knowing chief. Each day his skills improve, becoming better at what he does and making fewer mistakes. (Not to mention receiving less strikes from the blade. What a relief.) At this point, Mia believed her apprentice has adequate knowledge to take on the Bar Exam. Phoenix, however, didn't feel confident that he'll be able to pass. Obviously, the exam is gonna be hard. What's worse, it keeps getting harder every year. This is only to make sure that not just any random guy wearing a suit can pass easily. Otherwise, law offices today would be crowded with incompetent and unskilled lawyers. (Payne for instance.)

**On the night before the exam…**

The chief was packing up her suitcase and ready to head back to her apartment, when suddenly the door busted open. Who ever could it be, coming to the office this late at night? Mia turned her direction over to the door only to see…Phoenix, leaning against the wall using his right arm and panting heavily.

"What are you doing here, Phoenix?" she asked, surprised at the fact that her apprentice was standing there. He wasn't supposed to be. Mia continued... "I told you there will be no training today. Besides, it's already eight. Aren't you supposed to be at home saving your energy for the Bar Exam tomorrow? "

"Please...Chief...It's...Urgent." he replied, tired from running all the way here. "I...I want you to prep me for the exam!"

Phoenix begged her for one final session. A brief revision of all the materials covered in the previous months. The chief already instructed Phoenix to self-study at home. And he did, without so much trouble either. Even so, he felt like he needed Mia's guidance at a time like this. She understands how he feels though. Her own experience with the Bar Exam wasn't such a stroll in the park either. In the event that he fails, his future career will be in turmoil.

Mia was already tired and sweaty from work, but she gladly accepted his request anyway. If it'll give him a better chance of passing, then she'll do it for him. Wasting no time, they quickly went through the books, as many chapters as time provided. Each of them got harder and more complicated. The fact that Phoenix was able to answer every single question was a sign showing how ready his brain is.

It's almost as if their session was really unnecessary and Phoenix didn't need it in the first place. Yet, it didn't make him feel any less nervous. Anything can happen in an examination.

...and I do mean ANYTHING!

* * *

The two carried on until about a quarter to eleven. By now, it was too late for anymore cramming. If Phoenix continues to study in this current condition, not only will he unable to remember what he has learnt, but he'll also be too tired to do the exam and all of their effort gone to waste. Everyone has their limit. One can't work all day without resting. The line had to be drawn somewhere. She slammed the book shut, almost hitting her apprentice in the face.

"I think you've done enough for today. Now go home and get some rest." She ordered.

"Yeah...about that.." He said silently, like he's reluctant to tell her something.

"Hmm? What is it?"

Going back home to sleep was the only thing he must do right now, but it seems like the boy has other plans. What now? It's too late to be thinking about anything else anymore.

"Chief, I know this is sudden but…can I crash here at the office tonight?"

"You W-What!" She said, recoiling in shock.

Well this is an unusual request indeed, asking to sleep at your work place when your own house is clearly a better choice for a good night's rest. On a nice warm bed with a room temperature that you're used to. He slept here once before, on the furry couch. It was too cold and itchy. A guy like Phoenix probably has a reason for wanting to do such a thing, so let's hear it.

"You see...umm...it's just..." He stammered.

"I don't wanna risk being late for tomorrow. I'd be great if you were here to watch over me and help me get ready in the morning. Just in case anything goes wrong. For instance, my alarm clock broke down causing me to wake up late." He explained.

How wise of the boy trying to be precautious. True, messing up something this important will definitely have a serious impact on his job and later life. For a guy like Phoenix, he is good at studying and learning new skills, though he usually fails when it comes to common sense. It never hurts to have someone who's more careful to look out for him. Someone like the chief, who, especially in the courtroom, never lets go of even the slightest detail.

Come to think of it, the way he said it did sound strange though. There was nothing wrong with his explanation as it was a sensible one. Even so, there was a slight hint of trembling in his voice. It sounded unnatural, like it was "made up" on the spot and more like some sort of excuse.

"I can see you point." She crossed her arms and nodded in agreement. "Alright, Wright. You can spend the night here. I'll make sure you get your good night's rest and help you get through your morning routine."

His eyes lit up. "You really mean it? Thanks, chief!"

Phoenix was excited about getting to sleep at his mentor's office. Too excited, in fact. What's so special about this place?

"Oh which reminds me" Mia spoke up. "We need to get you properly dressed for tomorrow. You don't happen to have your own suit, do you?"

"Sorry, chief. I can't afford one." He answered. "I haven't been earning much money lately and I have no time to look for a part time job with all the studying I have to do. This shirt you've given me is the only thing I have."

"Can't be helped, I guess." She sighed. "That's why I've already prepared one for you."

The chief walked to the wooden closet. (what's it doing in an office anyway?) The inside was quite big, enough for an adult to get dressed in privacy. The only thing Phoenix saw was a dark blue colored suit hanging from a cloths hanger. Next to it, a bright red tie to match the color. Starting from tomorrow, this suit will be the only thing he wears, whether it's for work or even casual occasions.

"Try it on, Phoenix! I'm sure I got the right size from measuring your sweater." She said before pushing him into the closet and closing it. Then, she walked over to that secret door from the previous chapter.

Inside, Phoenix was trying to change his clothes, but it was pitch black so he had a hard time seeing. "Gee…It's kinda dark." He complained "You got a light?"

Mia turned her head back at the closet and said..."NO"...and left him in there.

Good thing she didn't have anything else in there. With phoenix fumbling around, her washed dried clothes would've been scattered all over the floor.

From the secret room, Mia took out an extra futon and blanket which lay on the shelf. What else she keeps in there or the purpose of this room being here is still unknown. She then placed them a meter away from the sofa where her "guest" will be sleeping. Close enough to monitor his actions, but far enough to provide him stepping room if he needs to use the toilet. It's not like she could just leave and come back for him first thing in the morning. Neither did she have to. It's only a waste of time and gas money. **  
**

A minute later Phoenix came out looking very smart in the new blue suit, formally dressed like anyone who works in an office with a high paying job, and to think he was able to do so without a mirror and in complete darkness. Now the boy was looking more like a real defense attorney. The only thing missing was his defense badge. Whether he'll earn the right to have in his possession depends entirely on how well he does tomorrow.

Mia gave complement on his appearance. "Gosh, you look really neat in that out fit, like a professional lawyer."

Phoenix then went to the mirror next to the door… and was surprised at how epic he looks just from a different selection of clothing. He checked himself out, looking all over his body. From his personality it's very unlikely that he would behave in this manner, but alas, his mind had fallen under control of the demon, Vanity.

"I think this suit looks good on me, chief. It's exactly my size and I kinda like the color."

"Alright, pretty boy." she said jokingly. "Time for you to use the bath, wear your PJ's and get ready for bed."

Oh for God's sake, Mia. He's not five. (Though he kinda acted like one during his university years, so I guess its rather fitting to treat him as such.)

"It looks like I'm gonna have to sleep in this shirt. I didn't bring my pajamas." He told her.

"Aren't you forgetting?" reminded Mia. "I still have your stuff from that time you passed out here."

She dragged a luggage from the side of her work desk. The chief decided to keep some of his belongings here in case of an emergency such as this, where he plans stay on short notice. No way was she gonna let him go through a night without taking a bath and have his body all sticky, smelly and itchy, causing discomfort which can hinder his performance. Only this time Phoenix gets to do it himself, saving him all the uneasiness of having a naked girl wash for him. With that, he opened the luggage for his tooth brush and pajamas and marched straight to the res-

'Hold on a second.' He thought 'There's no bathroom here.'

"Don't worry. There's a shower head installed." she added.

"W-What?" Phoenix gasped. "B-But last time you said you had to take me back to your apartment"

"Oh that. I lied" she confessed. "I merely wanted to see your reaction if you thought you've been bathing with a girl. Ahahaha."

Mean! :( That's so mean of her! She toyed with his innocence like that and just casually laughs it off. Does she even care how it will affect him? Once again, the naivety of the boy allowed him to fall for her trickery. Defeated, he just continued to the restroom shower, palm on his face.

There was a small shower box in the corner of the restroom. Since when has it been there and how come Phoenix never saw it all those times when he desperately had to go? Right now he couldn't care less, still a bit upset from what Mia said. The box was quite a squeeze with barely enough room to move around. He turned on the tap for the liquid to come out and wash away the filth covering his body. Surprisingly, it what he was expecting from a small office. The water was actually pretty good here. It was hot and had high pressure, even better than the one back at home. Was it worth it for the chief to pay for something like this? Having a water tank in a small compartment where she doesn't even need will drive her water bill up, but lawyers do earn a lot of money from an individual client after all so she was probably able to afford it.

Feeling soothed and greatly relaxed like being in a hot spring, he wanted to spend the whole night bathing in the shower. But he knew he shouldn't, considering that this office belongs to Mia and all. He finished up quickly so that the chief could have her turn.

When he was done changing, his suit was put back on the cloths hanger instead of just placing it over something, so it wouldn't look so wrinkled up. Phoenix then sat down by couch, pondering about the exam tomorrow. As it drew closer, his worries began grew more, infesting his mind with the word Exam Exam and more Exam. No amount of knowledge can keep a person from being stressed, especially when it has certain significance to determine the outcome of one's life. At the same time, stress will only cause more pain, so all that Phoenix can do is hope for the best. He laid down putting his head and feat on the arm rest of each side and covered himself with that thin blanket.

His tired eye lids began to close…

"Phoenix. That was so cheap of you, taking advantage of the situation like this." said a slightly annoyed voice from the shower as the door opened.

'Aww, crap. What did I do now?' He sat up straight, rubbing his eyes to clear the drowsiness.

Before him, stood a beautiful Mia, wearing nothing but a white towel which was just wide enough to cover her private areas, revealing a bit of her cleavage. Tiny water droplets on her skin and long flowing hair reflected the weak rays from the light bulb, creating a glimmering effect around her, enhancing her charm. Phoenix allowed himself to be indulged in the magnificent sight, until she started walking towards him. That's when he shook his head to regain his focus.

"W-Wait, Chief. At least put some clothes on first." He yelled in bewilderment. Give up, Phoenix. You know that's never gonna work on her. She proceeded to the couch, sitting right next beside him whilst still wet and dripping. Like always, it made him blush so hard he looked like a snowman that was made out of ketchup.

"…Seriously, since when did you become so cheap" The chief asked.

Phoenix didn't understand what she meant by "Cheap". It's not like he has done anything wrong or strange today. He scratched his head like a confused monkey.

"Coming here on the night before the exam? Asking me to teach you when you've already mastered the subject? Oh, please. You're just using them to cover up your true intentions." She continued.

"Eeh? What do you mean by **true intentions**, Chief?" He was still clueless.

"Can I crash here at the office tonight." she quoted. "And I knew that you quickly tried to make up that cheesy excuse on the spot. Your reasoning may have been logical, but do you really think I wouldn't notice that slight change in the tone of your voice?"

"T-That's not true…an-"

"Then why so tensed? I would've bought your story if you had made it sound more believable." She quickly cut him off then gave him a doubtful smile. "Admit it. What you really wanted was to sleep with me, right?"

"N-Not at all." He waved his hands back and forth, a lame expression of saying "It's not what you think" or something like that. How unfortunate that his words were implied in that sense.

The chief has found another chance to have a little "fun" with Phoenix. The way that naïve boy acts all defensive around her was just too cute to resist. She began with a seductive smile and then moved closer, leaning her back against his sides. The redness crept back onto Phoenix's cheeks.

"So…You've been waiting for a chance to take advantage of me. You naughty boy"

"N-No! It's too early to go that far." He quickly spoke. "I've only known you for like eight months."

"Eight months? …Only eight months, you say? And that's not long enough for you start developing feelings for me? " Mia teased. "I find it hard to believe, coming from a guy who did a bunch of things with his previous girl in only six."

Phoenix was flustered when the straightness of the surface which previously pressed on his shoulder changed into a soft and bouncy one. She moved one of her legs in between his, nearly touching his crotch as the boy tried his best to hold it back. She rubbed her chest on him, wanting him to feel it all and hopefully he will succumb to the pleasure.

"Chief, you're a little too close. D-Don't you wanna at least get to know each oth-"

"Too late, Phoenix. You can't talk me out of this one." she stated with confidence, knowing that he's cornered for sure. "Besides, what more is there to know?"

Phoenix was completely petrified, speechless and unable to move a muscle. For the chief, the atmosphere was getting exciting, so exciting that she decided to go all the way. The boy was forcefully pushed into a lying down position. Mia then pounced on top of him like a ferocious tiger striking its prey. Both of her hands grabbed onto his wrists, pinning him down so that he couldn't escape. Some of her long silky hair slid down from her back, touching the areas around his head, covering both their faces from outside view. _Doki.. Doki... _ His heart raced faster and pounded louder. This is it, the moment of truth.

"Oh Phoenix, I can't take it anymore" said Mia in a sexy tone. "I want you, Phoenix. Right here. Right now."

Phoenix Gulped "Y-You're really serious about this, Chief?"

The chief moved her hands to the side of his face. "I'm dead serious." Whispered Mia, as she pulled his head closer.

Of course, the chief was still only **half** serious, but her actions were so well played, it fooled him into thinking that she was really gonna do this for certain. "Do I accept or do I object?" Those were Phoenix's only choices. Which one shall he pick?

If he accepts, it's his big chance to get laid and Mia will be come his new lover, but doing so will make him feel guilty for cheating on Dahlia. (Who knows? She might even haunt him for that.) On the other hand, if he coldly rejects, he gets to keep his innocence and will have retained the virtue of monogamy. Despite that, he didn't want to hurt Mia by casting away her feelings. But either way, he wasn't stupid enough to mention his ex as a reason. Such a dilemma, indeed.

Time was running out for him to react (or do nothing) as her face got closer and closer…moving in for the kill (kiss).

Fortunately, Phoenix's training gave him the ability to think the situation carefully, and he managed to come up with a third option. A better alternative which will not decide his fate right away, but postpone it until later. It's a useful tactic which lawyers use to delay the court in their favor. Whether it would work on the chief or not, it was do or die time.

…

"P-Please, Chief…Can we do this later? L-Let's not forget, I still have an exam to worry about tomorrow."

…

Once those words were spoken, she stopped. Their lips were approximately a centimeter away from contact. What a relief. It nearly gave Phoenix a heart attack. Her tone reverted back to normal.

"Again, you have a point there." She got off Phoenix and went to lie down on her futon. "That passing score is our only priority right now. We'll have plenty more time to do this once your exam is over."

"Phew. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight, Chief." said Phoenix, curling up like a cocoon in the blanket.

Even now, the chief still wanted to have one last bit of fun before bed, by trying to make him feel that he has wasted a good opportunity. "Oh, Phoenix." She warned. "Since you blew your only chance of getting any tonight, I'm not gonna give you another one. So if I see or feel you down here, you're gonna be in big trouble. Got it?"

No response. It seems that our boy wanted to fall asleep as fast as he could to escape from all of this.

* * *

**Next morning**

_Mia got up first at around 6:30 feeling fully refreshed. Phoenix was curled up into a little ball like an armadillo, hoping to hide from her presence even in his subconscious. Cute, but also frustrating. Why was he being so difficult? After her morning shower, Mia went to the kitchen to prepare him some breakfast. Bacon and eggs is always a classic and was probably the most convenient breakfast to make right now. Its delicious aroma filled the air and woke him from his slumber. Soon after eating, he went to get his suit while the chief packed a suitcase for him, putting in the required stuff such as stationery and text books to read while they wait. Their morning routine went by faster than usual in the need to get to the exam room before the traffic gets crowded on the street._

_When they finally got to the place where the bar exam will be held, a few people were already there. All of them wore different colored suits with matching ties and all were doing their last minute reading. The grabbed a seat next to the exam room door. As more strangers arrived, the pressure began to build up. Everyone was waiting anxiously to get inside and do the test. Their hopes and dreams of entering the law enforcement rest on their scores._

_Soon the clock struck nine and the large door opened. Those who are taking the exam got up from their seats and walked in with their pencil boxes._

_"Do your best, Phoenix. I believe in you." were Mia's last words before Phoenix went in to face hell itself._

* * *

**To be continued**

**Aw man, guys. This just keeps getting harder. I might have to cut this short because university isn't giving me much free time.**

**To tell you the truth, I'd rather be reading a fic about Mia/Phoenix than write one myself.**

**Is there seriously no one else who would write about this pairing anymore? (Population = 1?)  
**


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